Deals With a Demon
by Violet Wings
Summary: An unknown disease is destroying Mokuba, and Seto is confronted with the only chance of his survival. This chance, however, costs him the ultimate price, and with his life changing in unexpected ways, can he deal with the consequences?
1. Knowledge of You

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

**Chapter 1 - The Knowledge of You**

It was nearly 2:40 a.m. as Seto Kaiba entered his large bedroom and slammed the door shut. The rain outside was pounding against the large window overlooking the courtyard along the opposite wall, and he could see a lightning bolt followed by the sound of thunder. Hanging his trenchcoat up in the nearby closet, he walked across the black marble floor and plopped down on the blue covers spread out on his bed. Sitting up, he let out a sigh, turned on the small lamp on the night stand next to the bed, and stared into the covers.

Staying up this late into the night usually wasn't a problem for Seto. He almost always stayed up until three o' clock. But this night was different, as were the past several nights. Tonight he would be granted with a miserable rest only to wake up and be even more miserable. This past week had been absolutely brutal on Seto. Not because of school, or the company, or some dumbass trying to ruin his plans. This hit was personal to Seto...so personal, that he had been only getting two or three hours of sleep a night because of it. He was worried about his younger brother, Mokuba.

For the past week, Mokuba had been staying in a hospital room, an oxygen mask and a few other machines the only things keeping him alive. The doctors had been forcing Seto out every night, telling him that the moment Mokuba's condition improved, they would immediately call him. But every night it was the same; the news was worse rather than better. He was falling behind in work, but he didn't care. Mokuba's life meant everything to him. To lose him...

Seto shook his head, the tears threatening to rise subsiding. He couldn't lose that kid. He _wouldn't_. The thought of Mokuba lying in bed, so lifeless and cold, chilled Seto to the bone. On a normal day, the kid would come home from school and be the first good thing that happened to Seto all day. He always did his homework before helping his brother out with the company, for he had high hopes of one day owning the multibillion-dollar corporation. "_But now that dream may never be fulfilled, along with his other hopes and dreams..._" Seto thought bitterly. "_Now...now he may not even..._" He couldn't even think about the doctor's prognosis without puke threatening to rise in his throat.

"Dammit!" he shouted, leaning back into the bed and closing his eyes. "_There has to be something I can do! I'm his big brother, for fuck's sake! I can't just sit here and wait for him to get better! There must be something, anything, I can do to help him out! I have all this money and power at my disposal! He shouldn't be this sick!_"

It had all began about two weeks ago. Mokuba had called Seto up from school stating that he felt a little dizzy and wanted to come home. After some negotiation (Seto didn't like it when Mokuba missed school), he finally agreed to take his younger brother home. Driving him back to the mansion, Seto had taken care of him by letting him rest and making sure he ate something. Figuring this was just a small thing, Seto had hopes of his brother's recovery the following day. But the next day, that hope became worry. Mokuba was in an even worse condition, and he decided to call off of school to take care of the kid. He had promised the kid he would protect him and take care of him, and god strike him down should he fail that promise one more time. But it was like this for two more days, Mokuba waking up every day even weaker, before Seto had had enough. He hated the thought of relying on doctors, for he didn't trust them a single bit, but Mokuba's health always came before his own ideals. Taking him to the hospital, Seto explained to the doctors how his condition had deteriorated over the past few days. The doctors promised to take extremely good care of him and to keep an eye on him.

Over the next week, Mokuba's health just continued to drop to the point where he needed a breathing mask and some support machines to even function. The doctors were baffled; they told Seto they had never seen anything like this. The image of Mokuba lying on the bed, the machines' beeping heard in the background, was now engraved in Seto's very being. And it was this image that brought tears into his eyes again.

Wiping them away quickly, he slowly stood up out of bed and walked over to the window. It was still pouring outside, and he leaned against the wall to watch the precipitation. "_Mokuba's dying..._" he finally thought. "_He's dying in a hospital bed, and I'm here in our nice, cozy mansion watching from afar. Those doctors better figure out a way to help him out. I can't afford to lose that kid. He's the only thing that brings me happiness in life. Without him... God, I can't even think about it._"

Letting out another sigh, Seto walked back to the bed and laid down, watching the rain pelt the window. Closing his eyes, he urged sleep to come, to force the images of Mokuba dying out of his mind and fill it with a comfortable blackness. He needed sleep; there was no point in denying that fact. The doctors were even starting to worry about _his_ health since he stayed at the hospital so late in the evenings. But he wasn't even slightly worried in his health, not with Mokuba on his deathbed.

"_Stop thinking like that!_" Seto thought, turning over in bed. "_He's _not _dying!_" But Seto was intelligent enough to know better than that. No matter what he told himself, the truth was still there. Mokuba's life was slipping by fast, and there was nothing he could do about it. "_Just go to sleep...maybe they'll call tomorrow..._" Rolling back over to face the window, he looked outside once more to see the rain letting up slightly. Closing his eyes slowly, he let out a sigh and soon fell into an uneasy sleep.


	2. The Retired Cheerleader

**Chapter 2 - The Retired Cheerleader**

Seto walked into the nearby classroom to see it mostly empty except for a few kids playing their iPods in the back of the room. He strolled to the back where his seat was and sat down, putting his elbow on the desk and his head in his hand. Two hours of sleep...that was all that had been granted to him that morning. "_And I'm sure I won't be getting much more than that tonight..._" he thought miserably, trying his best to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He knew this was becoming unhealthy for him, but what could he do about it? "_I just need all the energy I can get at this point. With Mokuba in the hospital and all the drama that's going on, every bit of energy I can get counts._" The drama in the school was unbelievable, and it all revolved around his favorite group of people. "_Oh look,_" he thought as the two walked in. "_Here it comes._"

Joey and Yugi soon walked in by themselves, smiling and chatting away. Taking their seats near the front, the two continued their conversation. Seto smirked and watched the action unfold. Another minute went by, and Tristan walked into the class. He walked straight past Yugi and Joey, his chin held high in defiance, and took his seat in the back before taking out a book to read. It only took another thirty-or-so seconds for Tea to walk in, taking her seat close to Seto but not looking at him or the others. She, too, took out a book to read.

None of the details were given, but Seto knew that their group had split up a few months ago. Rumors were that Joey and Yugi pulled a prank on the group, setting the entire party ablaze. Tristan and Tea left the group, and once Bakura found out about the whole incident, he also left. Now the group was merely Joey and Yugi, and the others had dispersed.

This wouldn't be a problem for Seto if he hadn't been dragged into it. He knew he would be; his past with the gang made him realize a conflict was inevitable. But after a couple of days, some of them started to come up and talk to him like they were the best of friends. He had clearly told them off, telling them that Hell would freeze over prior to him being friends with them. It was just to make them feel better, and he wasn't having it. Tristan had since given up, apparently being the smartest one of the group (which was a really sad fact), but Tea still tended to talk to him from time to time. It was now to the point where she was talking to a wall, for Seto just ignored her and let her talk to get it out of her system.

Putting both arms on his desk and his head down on his arms, Seto let out a sigh. No word had come from the doctors yet. He had instructed them to call each morning if Mokuba's condition had improved, even in the slightest bit. But they hadn't called. They never called. It was always worse instead of better. No word was beginning to mean no recovery, and the thought of that was what kept Seto up until four in the morning every night. Looking out the window, Seto was only greeted by the radiant sunlight coming him, and he quickly turned his head around. Two hours of sleep made the sun extremely uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" a sudden voice asked, making him glance up to see Tea looking at him.

"I'm fine," he answered, trying to sound cold. Instead, he sounded dead.

"You sure? You sound awfully tired...maybe you should go to the nurse or something?"

"I said I'm fine. Now what do you want?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay...but now that I think about it, I do have a question to ask."

"Aww, no speech today? Usually you grace me with your presence with a speech about how I'm an asshole."

He could hear her sigh but didn't really care. He was in a foul mood; dealing with Tea was the last thing he wanted to do at this point. Besides, she was only talking to him because she lost all her friends, and the gang's business was not his own. To him, it just went to show how important friendship really was to them. All they did was talk his ear off about how friendship was the greatest thing in the world and blah blah blah, and one little incident caused their group to self-destruct. Fucken hypocrites.

"I wanted to ask about Mokuba's condition," she stated, interrupting his train of thoughts. His head shot up like a bullet, and he glared a hole into her skull.

"What about it?" There, now his cold voice was back in action. She only seemed slightly phased by it, but that didn't surprise him. She should be used to his 'get the fuck away from me' voice.

"I just wanted to know if he was getting any better. News is going around like wildfire how he's not doing so well. Is he okay?"

"No."

"I take it he's in the hospital if it's as bad as some kids are making it out to be?" Now he gave her an angry and slightly confused glance. What were people saying about his little brother? Did people enjoy watching him suffer because his brother was ill? Of course, the way he treated others, it wouldn't surprise him in the least bit.

"Yeah...he's in the hospital."

"May I go see him one of these days?"

"No," he answered flatly, putting his head back down. Dammit, wouldn't the school bell ring already so that she would shut up?

"Why not?"

"Why bother? He's not getting any better. You'd just be staring at him." "_Yeah, like I've been doing for the past week. You want to wake up feeling this shitty?_"

"Kaiba, please? I just want to visit him for maybe an hour or two. He was my friend, you know, and I care about him a lot."

Here she went with the friendship speeches again. "I thought you said you didn't have a speech for me? Look, just because your group didn't work out doesn't mean you're dragging both me _and_ my brother into it. So if you're just going to visit him to make yourself feel better, forget about it."

There was a moment of silence before she, in the angriest voice she had ever used, said, "I know that didn't work out, okay?" Looking up, he saw rage inside her eyes. Not just anger, but pure rage. Her body was tense, and it was her turn to glare the hole in his skull. "I know that you feel like you're just being dragged into this, but you're not, okay? I just want to see him to see how he's doing. Is that too much to fucking ask for?"

Now she was swearing. "_Hit the nerve..._" he thought, letting out a sigh. "_All she's going to do is bitch me out if she doesn't see him, and I'm too tired to be dealing with this now, let alone once she goes into battle stance. Heh, I could take her on, but I'm not in the mood to fight either._" Looking over at her, he said, "Fine. You can visit him."

"Thanks...asshole." He watched as she tried to go back to her book, but her rage blinded her from reading it. She threw the book into her backpack, folded her arms across her chest, and closed her eyes, as if waiting for the rage to settle.

"_Oh, the drama..._" Seto thought as he put his head back down. "_Oh, the fucking drama..._"


	3. A New Sickness

**Chapter 3 - A New Sickness**

Seto sat in the uncomfortable chair and stared at the lifeless body of his younger brother on the bed in front of him. The only sound that could be heard was the beeping sound from the machine that emitted every second or so. The sunlight outside was beginning to fade, signaling that it would soon be night. He had been sitting here for the past half hour, just staring at the boy, begging him to wake up and get better. But nothing was happening. He figured he'd sit here the rest of the night until the doctors shooed him home once again. He had to hand it to them; if it wasn't for them, he would've died in this chair watching over his brother from not taking care of himself.

Taking the boy's hand in his own, Seto could feel the lack of energy and warmth in it. "_It's like he's already dead,_" Seto thought. "_No, he's not dead. The machine reads that he's still breathing. He's still alive, dammit. And he's not going to die._" Letting out a sigh, Seto put the boy's hand back on the bed and hung his head.

"_I need to start getting real. The doctor's prognosis just hit rock bottom...he's most likely going to die._" Tears began to form, but he didn't move an inch to wipe them away. Nobody was in the room to see him cry anyway, and his brother was dying, for Christ's sake! Who cared if somebody wrote in the paper the next day 'Seto Kaiba Cried!'?" He sure as hell didn't at this point. "_I just need to stop telling myself what's false. I need to get real._" He felt a single tear go down his face, and he quickly wiped it away. "_Unfortunately, getting real means giving up hope. I've never been the type for false hope, but I just don't want him to die._"

A sudden noise interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around to see Tea Gardner entering the room and shutting the door behind her. He quickly wiped his tears away and looked ahead, not wanting to see the look on her face. He heard a chair being pulled up beside him, and an awkward silence hung in the air for a few minutes.

"Is he...is he getting any better?" she finally asked, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"No," he answered.

"I'm sorry. I'm not going to pretend what you're going through. I couldn't even imagine..."

"I don't want your sympathy."

He heard her sigh and say, "Well, I guess I should've expected that answer from you. Just thought I'd try to help a bit." Seto let her comment slide by and just stared at the boy in front of him. It seemed like forever ago that he was happy, carefree, and full of energy. His energy was always almost to the point where it annoyed Seto, but he always forgave the kid. He wanted the kid to be as happy as possible. Now that energy, that spirit...it was gone. He seemed to be just a breathing corpse. "_And from what the doctor's said, it wouldn't be too far off._"

"How long has he been like this?" Tea asked.

"About a week," he answered. "_Christ, only a week...and it feels like an entire month._"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing."

"Do the doctors know what's wrong with him?"

"...No. Not a clue."

"Not even the slightest idea?"

"I said no, didn't I?"

"That's odd. I figured you would have the best doctors on the face of the planet here taking care of him. Not that those doctors look like they aren't professional. Is it something new, perhaps?"

"_She's smarter than I gave her credit for,_" Seto thought as he looked over at her. "Yeah...it's something new. They just aren't sure what it is." He turned back to look at his brother and let out a heavy sigh. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he simply stared ahead, knowing it was her. The prognosis the doctors had given him just 30 minutes ago rang in his ears.

- - -

"_Is he any better?" Seto asked, looking at the doctors with a hint of worry in his eyes. _

"_I'm afraid not, Mr. Kaiba. We still don't know what's wrong with him, and we've checked through all our records. I'm afraid your brother might be in a more serious condition than we first thought."_

"_And what does that mean?"_

"_It means that your brother may have contracted something entirely new, something we haven't seen yet."_

"_Something...new?" His body began to shake with rage. "And what is this 'something new'?"_

"_We're not sure. The symptoms your brother is going through are the strangest any of us here have ever seen. It's like he's...decaying."_

_Seto felt like his heart had been taken out and thrown on the ground before being stomped upon. "D-Decaying!?" Seto exclaimed. "That's ridiculous! How can somebody just start decaying when they're sick? Where's your proof of this nonsense!?"_

"_I'm sorry sir, but the way his tissue and blood samples are looking, I'm afraid it's true. His tissue cells are just dying off. We aren't sure what's going on. We're looking for treatments immediately, but you must understand that this is something entirely new. We have nothing to back up our causes with. We'll be conducting more tests tomorrow to provide the evidence with this if you so wish."_

_Seto could only stare at the man. He wanted to scream at him, rip his throat out, do anything to get rid of the rage that had built up inside him. But it all turned into sorrow within a split second, and all he could do was nod his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, some tests should be completed soon. I must go. Please take care, Mr. Kaiba. I don't want to see the both of you in here." And with that, the doctor had walked away, letting the information simply sink into Seto's very being._

_- - -_

"...going to go," he heard a voice say, interrupting his thoughts. Looking over at Tea, he shook his head to get the memory out.

"What?" he asked.

"I said I'm going to go," she repeated, taking her hand off his shoulder. "I just wanted to see how he was doing. I hope he gets well for both you and his sake. But..."

"But what?" he asked when she didn't continue.

"May I come visit him every once in awhile? Just to check up on him?"

Letting his head hang, he sighed and said, "Fine."

"Thank you." Hearing her put the chair back, he lifted his head and watched through the reflection of the window as she left the room, closing the door behind her.


	4. It Has Traveled

**Author's Note: **There will be two languages the demons use. One is English, and the other is something I made up.

**Chapter 4 - It Has Traveled...  
**

A slight wind blew the dead branches of the nearby trees, and a few skeleton birds chirped before taking off into the gray sky. A few skeletons walked by, armed with a sword and shield each, before taking their positions and beginning to spar with one another. He could hear the sound of a few critters here and there go by but paid absolutely no mind to them. Sitting on a large rock, all he did was stare into the black lake before him. He was currently in the middle of Amalgam, making him feel safe and secure. This was considered a holy forest; no fighting except for sparring partners and training occurred in these decaying woods.

"Abraxas, what are you doing?" a deep voice asked, grabbing his attention. Turning around, he saw his friends Satr and Sliva sitting on opposing rocks, looking over runes and other magical artifacts. His two friends were twins; each had piercing blue eyes and thick, black skin. Satrs had short silver hair, however, while Sliva had long, thin, light-blue hair. "You've been staring into that lake for days. What is with you? Ol laqydtomn gjamn?"

"Yes, sitting there by yourself won't do us any good," Sliva added. "Raqy baom el. We are going to be practicing some new spells soon. You should help us out." Abraxas smirked and shook his head before returning his attention to the lake. They were just trying to find an excuse to get him away, not realizing what he was seeing inside this lake.

"Please tell me that you aren't suddenly infatuated with the human world!" Satr exclaimed, laughing at his own comment. "Those humans are pathetic creatures, merely walking upon their earth to die. They have no use to us. So why watch them day and night, Abraxas? Why not help your own kind and prepare for the coming demon wars?"

"Because something has traveled," Abraxas remarked.

"Traveled?" Sliva asked. "What do you mean, traveled? Nothing travels to the human realm. We've separated ourselves from them long ago, when they proved how useless they are. We would never intentionally send them anything."

"We didn't. But it looks like something has infected a human host..." "_This is extremely interesting...and my golden opportunity to escape this place. Hyjpyrd._"

"Infected a host? Ha! Mamlymly! How could something from here infect a host without being sent properly into the human realm? You know as well as I do that this is impossible!"

"_Impossible...and yet it happened,_" Abraxas thought. For thousands of years he sat in this forest, Amalgam, and yet not once had this every occurred. Demons never sent anything into the human realm without consent from the others, but this sickness infected a host on its own free will. "_Something is not right about this. And now it seems to be attracting quite a bit of attention. This could be a problem for us...interesting indeed._"

"So what could've traveled into the human realm?" Sliva asked. "And infected a host, no less?"

"Rela Veli," Abraxas answered. "Rela Veli has taken root in the human realm."

He heard both demons gasp in surprise. "The Rela Veli?!" Satrs shouted. "Impossible!"

"It's true. I see a boy now, in what looks to be a hospital bed, dying from the illness. They've hooked machines up to him, they've done tests...all in vain, of course. Demon diseases have yet to travel to humanity in this century. They're baffled beyond belief."

"And the boy? Is he dead yet? Has it spread?"

"No. Not yet, anyway. But the boy's time is drawing near."

He could hear Sliva whisper, "How could this happen?" and begin talking to Satrs, but he didn't care. Watching the boy from the rock, Abraxas slowly stood up and let out a sigh. "What are you doing?" Sliva asked.

"We cannot let the Rela Veli spread throughout humanity," Abraxas answered. "If it does, it will give us publicity, which we cannot afford. So I'm going to destroy it before it destroys the human realm."

"What-you can't!" Satrs shouted, his voice even louder this time. "You need to prepare for the coming wars! You can't train in the human realm! Ldup, Abraxas! You must stay and continue training!"

"Silence, my friend," Abraxas said in a calm voice. "I will be back once the threat has passed, and the Rela Veli is destroyed. You will be fine without me until then." Turning around to face them, he smiled and said, "Continue your training on your own. You've done so without me thus far; I think you can manage." Seeing his friends slowly nod their heads, he turned back toward the black lake and began to walk toward it.

"_Finally, a way out of this place,_" he thought as he strolled over the lake until he was in the very center. Feeling a sudden current seize him, he smiled and thought, "_Away from this talk of wars, away from the constant training and sparring...away from it all, and into the human realm. Hehehe...how very interesting..._" And with that thought, the current swept him into the black lake.

* * *

Translations:

-Ol laqydtomn gjamn? Is something wrong?

- Raqy baom el. Come join us.

- Hyjpyrd. Perfect.

- Mamlymly! Nonsense!


	5. The Unholy Bond

**Chapter 5 - The Unholy Bond**

It was nearly one in the morning as Seto stared at the body in front of him for what seemed to be the millionth time. It was Friday night, and the doctors had agreed to let Seto stay later than usual. He didn't have school tomorrow, and he didn't have to go into work until ten. The doctors always used those two excuses to kick him out, but since they knew they couldn't this time around, they just let him go. Not that he had the energy to argue with them, at this point. Seto was physically and mentally exhausted beyond his capabilities.

News was spreading quickly around about the brothers' recent health problems. Mokuba developing a new illness (and Seto becoming sick over the fact that his younger brother had a new illness) was spreading fast. People were already talking, and he knew it was only a matter of time before everyone in Domino City knew of his brother's condition. "_Then the media will start to show up, asking questions and wanting to know what the hell is going on..._" he thought miserably, leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes, and letting out a heavy sigh. "_No, I won't let them near Mokuba. Not to make his illness some sick entertainment. There are plenty of murderers and car crashes out there to report on. Not my little brother._"

"And what do we have here?" a sudden, raspy voice questioned, making Seto jump out of his seat. Turning around to see who the intruder was, Seto felt a hand grab his shoulder roughly, lift him up, and fling him into the nearby wall. The impact dazed him for a second before he regained his vision and looked up to see the person. But when he looked up, his eyes went wide and a gasp escaped his lips.

"_What...what the fuck...?_" Slowing sitting up, Seto looked in awe at the...thing...before him. A tall creature, maybe a few inches taller than him, stood looking down at him. Its two eyes were sewn shut, but a third black eye with a purple pupil was implanted in its forehead. Blood red, thin lips were shaped in a smirk. It had extremely long, purple hair, and the whitest skin Seto had ever seen. Completing its outfit was a white tuxedo and black trenchcoat. "Who...what the fuck are you?" Seto asked as he slowly stood up against the wall. "_Is this thing for real, or am I hallucinating?! That must be it! This thing _can't _be real!_"

"Asking me two questions when you haven't answered mine?" the creature countered, making a tsk sound and waving its finger back and forth. "That's awfully rude of you. However, I'm not here for you, unfortunately. I'm here for this." The creature turned to Mokuba and placed a long nail on the boy's cheek. "And once I'm done with him, I don't think there's any reason to keep you around either."

"Get away from him!" Seto shouted, lunging forward toward the creature. Hallucination or not, this thing was _not_ touching Mokuba! The creature spun on its heels, and in a split second, had Seto's neck in its tight grasp and lifted him up slightly.

"Why protect this boy so much? He's going to die anyway, and my perspective is the sooner, the better. Although he's quite ahead of schedule, I don't think it should be a problem. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Flinging Seto back into the chair, Seto felt the chair fly backwards. Landing on his back with a thud, Seto calmed his breathing down and watched with blurry vision as the creature walked up to Mokuba and put his hand on his chest. He tried to stand up, but the pain in his body added to his lack of sleep made him slowly crawl on his hands and knees.

"What...why are you...planning on killing him?" Seto asked through ragged breaths.

The boy's disease comes from my world. In order to retrieve it back, I must kill the boy. Then I'll just take his soul and eat it as an extra bonus. It's what we demons do with humans who obtain certain elements from the demon realm. Kill and eat them. A very simple process for an even simpler one."

"The...the demon realm?" "_This thing has to be lying! There's no such thing as a demon! They're just mythical creatures in fantasy books. Either that, or lunatics sometimes think them up. I have to be hallucinating!_" Yet the pain Seto's body was going through was telling him otherwise. Getting his breathing under control, he slowly stood up when he noticed something. The demon had taken its hand away from Mokuba and was studying him. "_What's it doing?_" Seto wondered as the demon looked back at Mokuba, then at him. Finally, the creature smirked and walked up to Seto until their faces were merely inches away.

"You seem to really care about this little boy," the demon commented, smirking its blood red lips. "So how about you and I make a deal, since I'm such a kind demon?"

"A...deal?" Seto's vision was going blurry again, and he realized that his body was starting to wobble slightly.

"Yes, a deal. Your afterlife in exchange for your brother's life now." Seto gasped at the proposal. "You will keep the life you have now, but the moment you die, your soul is mine. This I'm asking for in exchange for your brother's life."

"Don't you need to kill Mokuba for the disease or what-not?" Seto asked, his voice losing his coldness. His world was beginning to spin.

"No. I just came here for a reason other than extracting that disease, and that was the boy's soul. But I'll gladly exchange his for yours. So, do we have a deal?"

"_This is absolutely insane,_" Seto thought as he stared up at the demon. "_This...thing...says that if I give up my afterlife, Mokuba will be okay? I'd give anything up for the kid, but seriously...is this demon even for real? What if he's just lying to me? He could not be here at all, just a figment of my tired mind's imagination..._"

"Hmm, I guess you don't care that much about him then," the demon stated as it turned around and began walking back toward Mokuba. "Too bad. His soul will just have to work."

"Wait!" Seto exclaimed, reaching out for the demon. Noticing his hand shaking, he quickly pulled it back. His world was spinning even faster now. He had to get out of here, back home. "Fine. My afterlife for his life. Just let me watch you take out the disease, and we'll have a deal."

The demon cackled and said, "Good, good." Placing its hand on Mokuba's chest, Seto watched as his younger brother's body began to glow a white, then dark, then gray. Finally, a sudden surge of light was shoved into the center, where the demon's hand had been placed. The creature turned around, and Seto saw a blurry white orb in its hand. "Here you are." Crushing the orb, the remnants fell to the ground in a dust-form only to disappear the moment it hit the hospital room floor. "There, the deed is done. Now your turn." Holding its other hand out, the demon mumbled a few words that Seto couldn't understand before he saw a sudden glow. Looking down at his hand, he realized that something was glowing on his finger. The white aura immediately vanished, and in its place was a ring. "Now the bond is complete. Your afterlife is mine." Seto stared up in horror at the creature before his vision began to go gray, then the deepest black.


	6. Slight Details

**Chapter 6 - Slight Details**

Slowly opening his eyes, Seto groaned at the sunlight streaming into the room. Rolling over in bed, he glanced over at the digital clock. "8:00," he thought aloud as he let out a sigh. Putting a hand over his forehead and eyes, he thought, "_Two hours until I have to be at work. Maybe I'll just lay here for awhile. Last night was just un-fucken-believable. I sold my soul...wait a minute! What am I saying?! It was just some silly dream, nothing more! That demon was just something my imagination came up with. No, Mokuba's still in the hospital, and I_–"

"Took you awhile to wake up," a familiar voice stated, interrupting his thoughts and scaring the shit out of him. Quickly bolting upright, Seto stared into the eye of the demon from the previous night. The demon was at the end of his bed, sitting with his legs crossed and staring at him. A smile was on his face, and he smirked at Seto's reaction to his voice. "You owe me for last night. I had to brainwash your driver into taking you home without noticing anything. Somebody would've found it odd if you were just unconscious on the floor."

"I...You took me home?" Seto asked, closing his eyes to try and remember the previous evening. The demon coming into the room...making the deal with him about Mokuba... "_Christ, it really wasn't just a dream..._"

"Did I say I took you home?" the demon asked. "No. I said I brainwashed your driver into taking you home."

"You brainwashed my driver?"

"Yes. Demons have powers, you know? But no need to worry; the spell should be wearing off soon enough, and he will have no recollection of last night."

"I see." Leaning forward slightly, Seto let out a sigh and put his head in his hands. "_So I really did sell my afterlife to this demon. This is just insane. Here I am, talking to this mythical creature, who I just traded my afterlife with for Mokuba's health..._" At this, Seto's head shot up as he remembered the creature taking the orb and crushing it. "Mokuba...is he okay?" Seto asked.

"Who?"

"Mokuba. The boy in the hospital room."

"You saw me last night, didn't you? I took the Rela Veli out of him; he's fine!"

"But...the doctors..." "_They haven't called me yet..._" he thought, looking at his cell phone on the night stand before looking back at the demon. "You didn't trick me, did you?"

"Trick you?"

"You could've easily tricked me and played some little show in an attempt to get my afterlife. How do I know it was really the Rela whatever–"

"Rela Veli," the demon corrected.

"Right, the Rela Veli. How do I know you really took that out?"

"The Mokuba kid is fine," the demon repeated. "It doesn't show improvement immediately. It's a foreign disease to this realm." The demon cackled before continuing. "It just doesn't go away in a few hours. He'll be improving by the end of the night, and that's a guarantee. The disease has been destroyed. You sold your afterlife away for a good cause, so stop with the long face already." The demon cackled again at its own comments and let out a sigh.

Realizing he wouldn't get anything else out of the creature, Seto looked back at the digital clock. 8:16. He had to start getting ready for work. Standing up out of bed, Seto went to walk toward the dresser when he heard something fall on the ground. He looked down to see the ring from last night on the ground. Leaning forward, Seto picked it up and looked at it from different angles. It was black with silver outlining, and some mist seemed to be inside the black orb.

"That ring is what binds you and me," the demon explained, pointing down at it. "It's merely a signature on a contract stating that your afterlife is mine. I personally won't kill; I'll just follow you around until you breathe your last breath. Once you die, I'll take your soul and eat for myself. You should be happy, though. Your soul could've gone to one of the other demon realms to rot. And don't worry about any complications in our agreement. Humans can't change a demon contract, whether it's with other demons or humans. Only demons can interfere with this."

Seto just stared at the ring, the truth of what the demon was saying sinking in. He not only sold his afterlife but basically his _normal_ life as well. But wait... "Won't others see you?"

"Huh?"

"Won't other humans see you?" Seto repeated, standing up and staring at the demon.

"No. When a demon first arrives in the human realm, it can be seen by all humans. However, once it is bound to a human, only that human and those the human chooses can see him."

"Those I choose?"

"Others will only be able to see me if you slip the ring on their finger. Since you were the first human to wear it, you will always be the afterlife I take, but should you allow somebody else to wear the ring, they will at least be able to see and interact with me."

This was too much information, especially for this early in the morning. Placing the ring on the night stand, Seto said, "I need to get ready for work," before heading toward his closet and picking out his Battle City attire.

"Work? Oh, that's right. You humans have occupations, don't you? What do you do?"

"I'm CEO of KaibaCorp."

"CEO? What the hell is that?"

Seto sighed in frustration and glared at the demon. "Is this what you're going to do all day? Ask quesitons?"

"Hey, wasn't that what you were doing five seconds ago?" Surprised at the sudden remark, Seto merely shook his head and began to walk toward the bathroom. He turned around at the doorway and looked over at the demon.

"I'm going to take a shower," he warned. "Don't come in here. And as for the CEO thing, I guess you'll figure that out later. Just try to entertain yourself for now." And with that, he shut the door and locked it.


	7. His End of the Bargain

**Author's Note: **So I've received a couple of reviews asking whether or not this was a crossover fanfic to the show Deathnote. Even though I love that show, this is NOT a crossover fanfic. I understand why people would think this since I was going to have this be an actual crossover fanfic when I first wrote this on another website, but there will be many differences made to avoid confusion. Sorry for the inconveniences. Now, onto the story: )

**Chapter 7 - His End of the Bargain**

Seto was staring at the screen in front of him, waiting for the files to begin loading. The sun was shining in through the windows behind him, and the digital clock on the computer read a quarter of ten. Seto had decided to come in a few minutes early not only to start work ahead of time, but to also be at the telephone. He had given the doctors his work number, and he wanted to be there if and when the news of his brother's improvement came along.

"Nice place you've got here," the demon commented as it sat down on a nearby black couch. The floors were a black marble, and the walls were white. A large, plasma television was on the wall, and two black couches faced the television and his desk. "You've obviously lived a glamorous life."

"Please," Seto replied sarcastically. "Anything but."

"At jyuzzp?"

"Huh?" Seto looked up in shock at the demon. "What did you say?"

"'Oh really?' It's the demon tongue. But from what I see, you've got several billion dollars flowing into your hands, unless of course you lied about this being a multi-billion dollar corporation. Being able to spend your money however you want whenever you want to...you don't think that's glamorous?"

"I don't spend my money like that, and you have no idea where I come from," Seto argued as he began to type up a report. "Now I'm busy running this place, and I'm not telling you to shut up every five minutes. So if you could be quiet, that wouldd be—"

"Of course you aren't," the demon interrupted with a smile on its face. "If you start talking to me, people will think you've lost it. And that wouldn't be a good reputation to have for the President or CEO or whatever you are, now would it?" Seto growled in response and stared at his screen. This day was not going to go well. "Speaking of getting to know each other, I never asked what your name was."

"It's Kaiba. Seto Kaiba."

"Nice name." An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Seto looked up at the demon. It was staring at the television with a look of confusion on its face. Looking back over at Seto, the demon asked, "What?"

"You never said yours."

"La? You never asked."

"La?"

"Nothing."

Seto let out a sigh before going back to his report. This was what he gave up his afterlife for? To be stalked by this annoying demon. "_Christ, Mokuba... Next time you bitch about something being annoying, you owe me big time._"

"So why did you go so far as to offer your afterlife to me in exchange for that boy's life?" the demon asked, leaning forward with its elbows on its knees. "I mean, he's going to die sooner or later, and his soul will just go to another demon realm. Why extend his life when it will just meet the same fate?"

"He's my little brother," Seto answered. "I promised him I would protect him for as long as I could. I would give anything away for him...even my own afterlife." Something struck Seto, however, and he perked his head up and asked, "What do you mean, _another_ demon realm?"

"There's more than one demon realm, idiot," the demon stated. Seto, not used to being called 'idiot', was slightly taken aback by this. "All souls go to a demon realm; your ideas of Heaven and Hell are synthetic, man-made. The strength of the soul depends on whether it becomes a demon or not." The demon chuckled and said, "But he's only your little brother. Don't you have parents or something?"

"No. My parents died when I was young, and my grandparents didn't want to take care of us."

"Ut, O lyy."

"What?" The demon tongue was pissing Seto off.

"'Ah, I see.' You really didn't have a glamorous life. I take my comment back."

"Glad to see you're mature enough to do so." The demon went to give a comeback when a sudden noise cut through the discussion. The telephone. Quickly picking up the telephone, Seto said coldly, "Kaiba."

"Kaiba?" a familiar voice asked. "It's Tea."

"Gardner? What do you want? Haven't I dealt with you enough for the week?"

"Guess that's the good morning I should've expected," she said in a meek voice. "But I wanted to call about Mokuba."

"I told you you could visit him, didn't I?"

"No, it's not about _me_. It's about Mokuba. I'm at the hospital now, and the doctors say he's getting better!"

"W-What?! Why haven't they called me if this is true?"

"They said they didn't want to put you in a state of false-hope, but his stats are rising, and they say it will only be a matter of time before he wakes up. I figured I'd call you up to inform you about it. They say..."

Tea's voice continued her rant, but Seto's mind wasn't on the conversation. "_He's getting better..._" Seto thought, a smile slowly appearing on his face. Looking up at the demon (who was staring at a nearby painting), he thought, "_This demon really kept his end up of the bargain. Mokuba's really going to be okay._"

"Are you there?" Tea asked, getting him out of his short trance.

"Tell the doctors I'm coming over," Seto instructed before hanging the phone up. Grabbing his briefcase and quickly turning his computer off, he walked out of his office and into the elevator. Pressing the lobby button, Seto leaned against the wall before looking over at the demon, who was leaning against the opposite wall.

"Where are we headed?" the demon asked, a smirk on its face. Whether he knew about Mokuba or not, Seto couldn't tell.

"The hospital," he answered curtly. "_Mokuba's going to be okay. He's actually going to be healthy again. I promised you, Mokuba, and I will never willingly break that promise. I'm coming for you, and I'll make sure you're healthy._"

"Oh, it's Abraxas, by the way," the demon suddenly said, as if the thought just came to mind.

"What?"

"My name. It's Abraxas."

Seto sighed and shook his head. This situation was really ridiculous.

* * *

La? - So? 


	8. Worth It

**Chapter 8 - Worth It**

"_He had looked at me...smiled at me...even talked to me..._" Seto thought as he caressed the boy's hand, a smile clearly on his face. It was nearly midnight, and even though Mokuba had fallen asleep several hours ago, he had stayed to watch over the kid. "_He's really going to be okay. I kept my promise to you, Mokuba. I saved you! You're really going to be alive, back to your normal self again..._"

The doctor's report hanging on the doorway had been read to him the moment he had arrived at the hospital. Mokuba was become stable. His cells were at a normal regeneration rate. He was eating food and drinking water on his own. The oxygen tank became an unnecessary tool. He was, overall, becoming healthy again. But none of that seemed to matter when Seto opened the door up to see him talking with Gardner (who had left several moments after he arrived to give the brothers some room). The boy's large eyes had went over to Seto, and a smile seemed to light the little boy's face up with life. And that smile meant the world to Seto.

"You look like you're going to pass out soon," Abraxas commented, looking down at Seto. "Maybe we should head back? Don't want you passing out again. If you do, I'm not brainwashing your driver this time around."

"What do you care?" Seto asked, glancing up at the demon before looking back at Mokuba. "The sooner I die, the sooner your job is done. Isn't it your motto 'the sooner, the better'?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't make this deal because I wanted this trip to end shortly. I would've just eaten the boy's soul then. I made the deal because it meant I stayed in the human realm longer."

Seto put Mokuba's hand on the bed before leaning back in his chair and looking up at Abraxas. "If you wanted to stay longer, why didn't you just stick around?"

"You just don't get it, do you? Demons and humans aren't supposed to interact with one another. I needed to be bound to a human lest every human saw me walking down the streets. Simply eating a soul is nothing, and nobody has to see it. But traveling around is just asking for attention, which we demons don't exactly like. We enjoy being shrouded in secrecy; it's our way."

"And why did you want to be in the human realm?"

"Lots of reasons, really. But mainly because I was bored."

The answer was so simple, yet so blunt, that it took a moment for it to sink in. "You made my brother sick out of boredom?" Seto asked in the coldest, deepest voice he could muster. It worked, for he saw the demon take a step back in surprise.

"No. I have no control over Rela Veli. It is a disease, and no human can control it. That's just its nature. But that is why I made you the offer. You don't need to know the details of current events in Amalgam. All you need to know is that if it wasn't for my boredom, your brother would be a carcass right now. I used your situation as an added variable in my predicament, and nothing more."

"What do you mean, _your_ situation?"

"Once I arrived here, I instantly took note of how you seemed to love this boy. I used that as my trump card in order to score your soul instead of the boy's plus an added 60-or-so years here in the human realm. Not a bad deal, if you ask me."

Seto wanted to be angry with the demon, but he couldn't. He knew that strategy all too well; he often used it when making deals with other companies. Find out what they enjoy most, and use it as a trump card in order to make a deal. Hell, that's how he got his father to trust him to begin with. He had started out with the ten thousand and made a million the next day, all because he found a company who cared for its workers. So how could he be angry? "What made you so bored in your realm?" Seto asked.

"That I'm not telling. Sorry, but like I said, you don't need an update on current events in the demon realms."

Staring at the body in front of him, Seto let a small smile appear on his face. "_I don't care. It doesn't matter if I just sold my afterlife away to this demon. It doesn't matter if this demon will stalk me for the rest of eternity. All that matters is that you're okay, Mokuba. You'll be healthy again...Hell, you're starting to look better already. Your face isn't as ashen anymore. You're gaining the lost weight back already. And that's all I can ask for._"

A cough suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around to see a nurse smiling at him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, but visiting hours are long over, and Mokuba needs all the rest he can get. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Letting out a sigh, Seto smiled once more at his younger brother's form, noticing how his chest rose and fell with breath without the use of a machine to do so. He turned around and walked out of the room, noting slightly that he had basically just been kicked out.

"_Who cares?_" he thought as he entered the elevator, making sure the demon entered as well, before pressing the button for the main lobby. His afterlife had been sold for this demon's benefit, but that didn't seem so bad anymore. "_I saved Mokuba...and doing anything is worth that boy's smile._"


	9. Two Sides

**Chapter 9 - Two Sides**

"Here is the folder you wanted, Mr. Kaiba," the secretary stated as she placed the folder on Seto's desk. "Is there anything else you require?" A tall, skinny girl with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and black glasses, she was currently wearing a black t-shirt, white skirt, and black high heels. Seto had to give her credit for two things; she did her work, and she actually wore things he considered clothing. Most women were too busy showing off their bodies to do their work, but this woman actually deserved her job.

"I need a coffee, and then you can get started on those files. I want them organized by the end of the week."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba." She bowed slightly before leaving his office, and Seto smirked before returning to his work. They were installing a new program into the duel disk system, and he wanted it up and running by the end of the month. Ever since the end of the many tournaments held in Domino, Seto had merely allowed players to keep their duel disk systems. New programs would be added over time, and users would have to pay for this updates. This new installment uploaded a new deck of cards as well as fixed a few minor bugs that most people didn't even recognize, and he wanted it to be out ASAP.

Abraxas's sudden laughter caught Seto slightly off guard, and he growled before asking, "What do you want now?"

"I just find it amusing," the demon answered. He was sprawled out on the couch, smirking over at Seto. "You sold your afterlife away for that boy, and now the only thing you can think about is running this company. You really didn't have to sell something so valuable away if you weren't going to put it to good use, you know?"

Seto looked up from the computer and glared at the demon. It had been a week since Mokuba's recovery, and he had since been let out of the hospital. Life was returning to normal for the Kaiba brothers. "He's at school right now," Seto replied, looking back at the computer. "And besides, he's going to a friend's house after school, so I won't see him until later tonight. Besides, visiting him in the hospital so often has put me behind in work, and even though I'm not unhappy about that decision, I need to catch up. I've never taken so many days off, and it's hard keeping up as it is."

"What are you doing right now?" the demon asked, standing up and walking over toward Seto. Standing behind Seto's chair, he leaned forward until his face was next to Seto's. Seto read confusion all over the demon's face and chuckled as he continued to type. "What the hell is this?"

"Programs for the new duel disk system?"

"Vtud? And might I ask what that is?"

"About a year ago, I held a tournament here in Domino City using duel disk systems, which were basically portable Duel Monster games. I'm uploading a new program to them, and I want it done by the end of this month. Since I visited Mokuba so often, I need to get back to work on them and start fixing them up."

"You lost me, I'll admit, but whatever. Looks rather confusing. How did you learn to do all this? Practice?"

"Mostly just repetition." The double doors into his room opened up, and Seto saw the secretary walk in and place a cup of coffee on the edge of his desk.

"Anything else before I work on those files, Mr. Kaiba?"

"No thanks." She nodded her head and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Seto sipped the coffee and placed it near the keyboard when the demon picked the cup and stared at the drink.

"Mind if I try it?" he asked. Seto shrugged and watched the demon try the coffee, a look of disgust crossing his face before he slowly placed it back down on the table. "I'll let you humans drink that shit," he commented before returning to the couch. Seto chuckled and took another sip before saving his work. He hated when his work shut down on him, and one time the power went out, and he lost all of his files. Working on a huge project at the time, Seto learned the hard way to save every so often. Going to continue typing, he heard the phone ring and growled before picking it up. "Kaiba."

"Hello," a meek voice said. Seto almost didn't recognize it at first, and his eyes went wide for a split second before returning to their usual coldness.

"Gardner? What do you want now?"

"I just wanted to thank you for letting me see your brother," she said. She sounded dead tired over the phone. "I know you usually don't let people see him, even when he's healthy, so I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to see him."

Seto smirked. "Don't take it too personally. This doesn't make us friends in any way, shape, or form. Just remember that."

"I know. I just felt that I should thank you all the same. Have a good day." And with that, the line went dead. Looking at the phone in shock, Seto slowly put it back down and returned to his work.

"Who was that?" Abraxas asked, looking up in curiosity.

"The girl from the hospital. The one visiting Mokuba."

The demon put his finger on his chin as if pondering for a second before facing Seto and asking, "May I ask a question?"

"Never stopped you before."

"Why are you an asshole to everyone except that kid?" The demon's bluntness took Seto off guard once more, and Seto immediately stopped typing and looked up at the demon. "I mean, you seem to hate everyone on this planet. Like that girl. You don't seem to enjoy her company whatsoever, and I've seen you at your school talking to absolutely no one. Do you hate everyone but the boy, like in general? Or do you hate him as well and just _pretend _not to hate him? Or do you–"

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Seto asked, anger seething out of his voice and startling the demon. "How dare you say that?! I love Mokuba, and that's why I went to these ends in order to make sure that he is still alive today! You don't know anything about me, and I intend to keep it that way. I'm not entertaining you with my life history for the rest of eternity, got it? I love Mokuba. I would _never_ pretend to love anybody, and that includes him."

An awkward silence hung in the air for what seemed like an hour before the demon sighed and mumbled an apology. "But...why do you hate others?"

"I just...get tired of people." The demon merely shrugged his shoulders before closing his eyes and resting back into the couch. Seto shook his head, wondering how much of his history he would be able to truly keep from this demon.

* * *

Vtud? - What? 


	10. Amalgam

**Chapter 10 - Amalgam**

Seto plopped down on his king-size bed and let out a long sigh. Mokuba had gone to bed an hour ago, and he had stayed up to work on the project a bit more before deciding enough was enough. It was nearly one in the morning, and he had school plus work tomorrow, as usual. He smiled at the thought of Mokuba actually sleeping in his bedroom tonight instead of lying in a hospital room. The boy really was worth it.

"You seem to work a lot longer hours than most humans," Abraxas said, interrupting Seto's thoughts and wiping the smile off his face. "I'm surprised you can even function the way you do the next day, yet keep it at it all this time. But then again, you must be used to this sort of thing." Seto glared over at the demon with a look that said _What do you want from me? _He really wasn't in the mood to be dealing with this right now. "Fine, fine," the demon said as it let out a sigh. "I'll let you get your sleep." Seto rolled over in bed and closed his eyes, not caring if the demon was there or not. Sleep immediately came.

Waking up to the sun hitting his eyes, Seto groaned in annoyance, shielded his eyes, and quickly rolled over in bed. Looking over, he saw the demon smile and wave at him over on the recliner. He sighed and said, "Please tell me you haven't been staring at me sleep this entire night."

"No. I went downstairs to check out your rather large library. I must say, the stuff you have on demons is not only fascinating, but all wrong. You humans really have no clue about us, don't you?"

"No, we don't. But that's the way you like it, right? No publicity?"

The demon smirked and said, "You _do _listen to me." Seto chuckled and got out of bed. Walking over to his closet, he took out his school uniform and walked into the bathroom to change, leaving the door slightly open to he could talk to the demon. "Do you read the fantasy books? You don't seem the type to do so."

"I read the science fiction," Seto answered. "Mokuba reads all that fantasy nonsense."

"I see. If you don't mind, I'll probably take a look at some of the books to read. Demons actually enjoy reading, and although its runes and such, it's still reading. Maybe I'll find something different and read it while you sleep."

"Entertaining yourself, huh?" _Finally. _

"So when does the boy go to school?"

"After I do. He usually sees me as I leave, and then I'll see him after school at KaibaCorp. He usually spends the afternoon with me at work before going home to play video games or what-not." Something triggered at the mention of Mokuba, and once Seto was changed, he walked out into his bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the demon.

"What?" the demon asked, noticing Seto's stare.

"What exactly was that disease that was inside Mokuba?" Seto asked. "The doctors were completely baffled about it and said they never saw it and had no recording of it. You said it was a demon disease, but the doctors said he was...decaying."

"Of course he was. The Rela Veli had traveled into him."

"The Rela Veli?"

"The decaying disease, as you humans would call it. The Rela Veli traveled from my world, Amalgam, and into your world. However, in order to do this, it needs to infect a host. That host just happened to be your little brother. It could infect a human, a bird, a tree...anything that lives. A demon had to come here and destroy, and I volunteered for reasons slightly explained earlier."

"So it just makes the organism decay?" Seto asked. The demon nodded its head, and Seto thought, "_God, I'm glad this demon came alone. I could never watch Mokuba just decay in front of me like that in a hospital. No way._" "You said it came from your realm, Amalgam. Are there other demon realms?"

"Naturally. Mine is a holy forest. Death is a commonplace thing there; skeletons fighting each other, carcasses lying about, dead trees, skeletal birds...it's a rather boring place."

"_Boring isn't the first word that comes to mind..._" Seto thought. "Do other demons like yourself live there?" he asked as he leaned back onto the bed. He was going to talk to the demon sooner or later, and he was still trying to get used to it. Why not gather some information while he was as it?

"Yeah, I know a few others. I'm actually friends with a pair of mages. Demon twins, Sliva and Satr. They're good companions, but all they do is practice their craft." Chuckling, he said, "They even offered to teach me some of their qunor."

"Qunor?"

"'Magic.'"

Seto gave the demon a skeptical look. "Magic?" "_Shit...he could be dangerous for all I know._"

"Don't worry, I didn't take up the offer. I rarely do with them." Looking up at the clock, Seto saw that it was soon time to leave for school. His driver would be here in another ten minutes. Sitting up, he looked over at the demon.

"Are there any other demon diseases that will travel here?"

"No. Demon diseases rarely enter the human realm. It's all part of the no publicity we like to have as demons. Diseases traveling back and forth would only stimulate the superstitious nonsense you humans have on our kind. We don't need that crap."

"But then how did you get here?"

"Traveled like the disease did. There's a portal, a large black lake, in Amalgam, that connects the human realm to the demon realm. That's why there's no fighting in Amalgam, and that's why it's considered a holy forest. We can watch the human realm from there, and that's where I noticed the disease traveled. I saw your brother decaying in that bed, and I knew immediately that the disease had traveled."

"I see." Looking back over at the clock, Seto sighed and said, "Shit. Time for school." Standing up, he grabbed his bag out of the corner of his room and walked out of the mansion, but not before saying goodbye to a tired Mokuba.


	11. Last Minute Partners

**Chapter 11 - Last-Minute Partners**

Seto let out a sigh as he sat down in his seat in the back of the classroom. The sun was shining in, and a few kids were filing in and taking their seats as well. The teacher, Mrs. Asula, was seating in her seat in the front of the classroom, looking through a few papers. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing thick glasses and exotic earrings to match her green and red t-shirt and black skirt. Some teachers found her attire inappropriate, but none of the students seemed to mind.

Seto covered his mouth to hide the smile as the demon walked up behind the teacher and looked around the classroom. It was the first time Abraxas had come to school with Seto; he usually stayed home to either travel Domino on his own or stay and meander through Seto's mansion. He then walked over to the air conditioning unit, sitting down and staring outside with a look of curiosity and awe coming from its eye. "_He looks so overwhelmed,_" Seto noted as he watched. "_There really must be less to nothing when it comes to life in his realm, like he says. He's looking up at the sky likes it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Something we take for granted...he's never even seen._" Seto looked up at the teacher as the bell rang and let out another sigh. "_At least it keeps him from talking to me the entire class period. I hate having to look around for a place like a fugitive just to answer his stupid questions._"

"Alright, class, the bell rang already," Mrs. Asula reminded her students as she stood up and grabbed a sheet of paper. "That means assignments out and mouths are closed." Seto took out his assignment and placed it on his desk, staring up at the demon. At least he was sitting near the window; it made Seto look as though he was merely looking out the window, which he often did during boring sessions anyway. The teacher passed his desk and marked it down on her paper before continuing around the class.

"_I wonder what his realm is really like, though..._" Seto thought. He held a chuckle back as Abraxas quickly watched a small bird fly by. "_He says that he lives in some holy forest, but his scene sounded a little less than holy. Of course, something holy to a demon and something holy to a human are two different things, I'm sure. But how bored was he that he decided to spend the rest of my lifetime here on Earth? It's not like I'm 60. What was he–_"

"No homework again, Gardner?" Mrs. Asula asked, interrupting his thoughts. Looking over, Seto saw Tea staring at her blank paper with a tired stare. The teacher marked it down on her paper before shaking her head. "Good thing we're introducing a new project to bring your grade up with. Let's just hope your partner helps you out."

"Yeah...I guess so," was all Tea said, shaking Seto slightly. Her voice had been meek on the phone, but Seto just figured it was bad reception from her phone. He watched the teacher place the paper on her desk before turning around to face the class.

"Now, as you know, you'll be switching classes soon to other language courses," Mrs. Asula said. "Which means I have time to give you one more project before you change classes." A few students groaned in response, but she ignored it with a wide smile. "I promise it will be a fun project, guys. You all need to have better attitudes about certain things." Seto, along with a few new students, groaned at her response. Her saying it was fun meant that it would be the most boring thing in his life.

"Now, I'll pass out rubrics soon, but I want to explain it first," Mrs. Asula continued. "Each of you will receive a partner of my choosing. You and your partner must come up with something the two of you have in common and write a ten-page report on that trait. It may be something simple like hair color or something complex like musical interests or hobbies. To go with this project, a trip to your partner's house is required. You will include this visit in your report. I don't expect you spending the night, but I want you to see the person's lifestyle for at least several hours and write how this may or may not affect the trait you two share. I'll pass out rubrics now and take any questions."

Seto heard a cackle and glared over at the demon. "_Even he understands my predicament,_" Seto thought bitterly as he faced the front of the class. Mrs. Asula was beginning to pass out rubrics, and Seto snatched his and glared at it. "_Great. I have to invite one of these fuck-tards into my house. What am I supposed to have in common with these losers? This is just fucken great...and Abraxas will be loving every minute of it._" If there was one thing he had learned, when a human was suffering, the demon seemed to enjoy it. Seto knew he was going to miserable during this project... "_...which means he'll be taking notes on human behavior..._"

"Now, are there any questions to this project?" Mrs. Asula. When no one raised her hand, she added, "Okay then. I've already picked out partners based on performance in class. I think it's necessary to step over boundaries at times, and I think putting classmates together who aren't used to it is necessary. Once I call out you and your partner's name, feel free to move around, as we will be working on this the rest of the period." Picking up her list, she began to read off the names. "Josh, you will be with Sali. Reagen, you are paired up with Lily. Seto...hmm..."

This caught Seto's interest, of course. Everyone watched eagerly as she took a pencil and quickly erased several names, changing their order, before picking them back up. "I was going to have you paired up with Terrin, but I think this will be better for the both of you. Seto, you'll be paired with Tea."

The class seemed to hold its breath as Seto looked from the teacher to Tea, then back again. "_I'm paired...with the fucken cheerleader?_" he thought. Sure enough, he watched her pick her things up and head over to the desk beside him. Putting his head in his hands, he thought, "_Dear God, shoot me now._" Mrs. Asula continued to read the names off the list, but all Seto could do was think about how he was going to handle dealing with this girl for a week. "_Talking about having nothing in common...Jesus Christ..._"

"You know, I think there's a saying for this," Abraxas commented. "Gtud nayl ujaemf, raqyl ujaemf. 'What goes around, comes around.'"

Seto glared at him quickly before returning his attention to Tea. Her eyes were closed shut, and her head was leaning on her hand and supported by her elbow. She looked dead tired. He went to say something when she turned to look at him and asked, "When are we doing the visits?"

"_If_ we do the visits..." Seto commented sarcastically.

"Can you come over tonight?" she asked. Seto looked over and saw her begging with her eyes.

"What, so now I have to put my schedule around yours? I don't think so. You know how busy I am with the company and my other endeavors. I'm not changing my schedule around just to visit you."

"Please...Seto, please," she said, her voice even quieter than it had been just ten minutes ago when she answered the teacher. "I need the grade, and it's not a good idea to come over for the rest of the week. Tonight's the only good night available for me."

"Why? You have friendship speech classes or something?" When no answer came back, he turned back to face her and was surprised at what he saw. Tears were forming on the edge of her eyes, and she was slowly shaking her head no. "_What the...where the hell did this come from? I've never seen her like this. What's going on with her?_"

"No, not that. Just...some things are going on right now at home. The rest of the week just isn't good."

Letting out a sigh, Seto realized that he needed the grade as well. It wasn't that he was failing; he had an A . But looking down at the rubric, this project could cost him that good grade, and he couldn't afford it when they were about to change courses. "Fine. Tonight."

"Thank you...very much. Meet me outside after school, and we can head over to my house." Chuckling, she picked up her rubric and said, "Maybe we can find something we have in common besides having brown hair."

"Highly doubtful," he said before looking over at the demon, who was laughing at the situation. "_Shit, that means that he'll be following me when I go to her house. This just gets better and better..._"

Hearing the bell ring, he went to pick up her things and stood up, the demon getting off the air conditioning unit. He watched as Tea also picked up her things and nearly jogged out of the class, wiping her face away as if tears were there. They probably were. "_Jesus...more drama...but something's not right._" Seto shook his head and thought, "_I don't know why, but something's just not right with her._"


	12. On Second Thought

**Chapter 12 - On Second Thought...**

The final bell rang for school to end, and Seto walked to his locker and placed his books away. "Hahaha, dtol ol ceody uqelomn!"

"Quiet, you," Seto ordered as he slammed his locker door shut. He knew this was going to be a nightmare. Spending fifteen minutes with the cheerleader was hard enough, but to actually spend several _hours _at her house was a whole other story. The problem was that, no matter how hard he would try, he knew past experience would keep him civil. It was another person's home, and no matter how hard he tried, he had been taught to respect other people in their home. It was just common courtesy, and he wouldn't stoop so low as to disrespect another person in their own home. This would lead to Tea thinking they were friends, which would cause a whole other mess of issues and drama. Letting out a sigh, he fixed his backpack and began walking down the hallway.

"No, I'm serious," Abraxas said as he walked beside Seto, going around the students coming toward him. "This gives me an even better opportunity to see how you humans are. I know you can't stand this girl, so I wonder how you'll react to this."

"I'll be as civil as I can be," he answered."

"Civil? I thought you hated her? That's no fun."

"It's called respect. Most humans, no matter how much they can hate a person, know something called common courtesy."

"Which is...?"

"There are certain things that you're just civil about, let's just say."

"Ah. You see, we demons don't do that. We're as blunt as can be. If we hate somebody, we'll treat them like crap no matter where we are." Abraxas chuckled again and said, "And that's why these wars will be so fun to watch."

"Wars? What wars?"

"Ah, isn't that the girl over there?" Seto growled but turned around to see Tea leaning back on a nearby bench outside. Sighing, he decided to let the comment slide and walked outside and up to Tea. He could see her eyes closed, and he poked her shoulder to wake her up.

"Hey, I'm here," he said. She smiled and yawned, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them. "I didn't keep you waiting that long, did I?"

"No, no," she said. She smiled up at him, and he almost cringed. Her eyes were half-closed, and the smile made her look stoned. "I'm good. Just...tired, is all."

"Are you alright?" he asked when she yawned again. She slowly stood up and nodded her head.

"Y-Yeah. Just tired, like I said. Come on. My house is about a fifteen minute walk from here."

"Walk?" Seto asked. He would've asked the limo driver if he knew they'd be walking.

"Yeah. You never walk before in your life?" Seto growled at her response but followed her down the sidewalk. The kids from school were driving by, all excited to be out of school. A few other kids were walking on the opposite sidewalk. It was strange; Seto never noticed any of these kids when he took his limo.

"You look surprised," Tea noted. "I take it you never walk to school? Didn't think you would anyway. So...have you thought of anything we may have in common?"

"No," he answered flatly.

"Well, I thought of a couple things besides hair color we could test out. Video game interests, musical preferences, food likes and dislikes...or we could just write a really boring paper on Duel Monsters and be done with it."

"I don't play video games."

"Okay, scratch that. Favorite foods? You can't say you don't eat."

Seto growled again, ending the conversation. It's not that he didn't eat, but even the demon cackled at Tea's comment, for even he knew that Seto rarely ate anything healthy. He usually only ate a small lunch consisting of a snack and dinner, and even dinner was sometimes just something small. It wasn't that he didn't eat; it was just he didn't do it as often as he knew he should.

"Well, do you listen to–" At this, however, she put a hand up to her mouth and yawned. "I'm sorry. I'm just so tired lately."

The two stopped at a crosswalk and stopped, waiting for the red light to turn green. Seto chanced a peek down at Tea and saw her head slightly down. There were bags under her eyes, and her skin tone seemed a bit paler than normal. "_Jesus, what's going on with her?_" he thought as the light turned green. Walking beside her, he wondered, "_I don't like getting involved, but she doesn't seem anything like herself. Even I can see that. And the teacher said she hasn't been doing well in school...hell, that's the reason we're partnered together in the first place. I wonder what happened between the group to drive her to this?_"

That's when he noticed something wrong. Turning around, he saw Tea a few steps behind him, her head down. "What, tired already?" he replied sarcastically. "You're the one who said you wanted to walk in the first place. Don't–" But something was wrong. She was...swaying...? Walking up to her, Seto put his hand on her shoulder when he felt her fall forward into him. He quickly grabbed her from falling to the hard concrete, and turning her over, he saw her eyes closed. "_What the hell?! Is she...sleeping?!_" Moving a few strands of hair, he thought. "_She fell asleep on me...how tired can you possibly be?!_" Sighing, he took out a cell phone and pressed the speed dial number. Placing the phone up to his ear, he said, "Rolin, it's me. I need you to come and pick me and another person up immediately..."

- - -

"Wow, she must be dead tired to still be asleep," Abraxas commented. "How long has she been asleep now? Six hours?"

Looking over at the digital clock, Seto chuckled and merely said, "Seven." It was ten at night, and looking at the figure on his bed, he saw that Tea wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon.

"Damn. Even you don't fall asleep on me during the day, and you never sleep compared to most humans. You know what's wrong with her?"

"No, but there is definitely something wrong," he answered as he sipped the rest of his coffee.

"Naaf bak, dumbass. Of course there's something wrong."

"You don't understand. This girl...the fact that _she _fell asleep on me is what scares me."

"Why? What's so special about her?"

"This girl used to have a large group of friends. All she would do is tell me to take better care of myself, to cherish life more, to have more friends...the list went on and on. She was always so optimistic and perky. Friendship was her number one priority. And now, she's falling asleep on me during a walk. There is something amiss with her; this isn't like her at all."

"What? You suddenly worried about her?"

Seto shrugged. "If I'm going to be doing this project with her, she needs to stay awake for more than five minutes at a time." Leaning back in the recliner, Seto shut his eyes and let out a sigh.

"You seem pretty tired yourself," Abraxas replied. "You worked non-stop since you put her in bed. Maybe you should get some sleep?" Looking back at the demon, Seto watched Abraxas look at him before turning to look at Tea. "I'm going downstairs to find a book. You have quite a selection, and I want to check it out a bit." Seto watched the demon leave the room before closing his eyes again. He didn't want it to, but sleep immediately took over.

* * *

Hahaha, dtol ol ceody uqelomn! - Hahaha, this is quite amusing! 

Naaf bak - Good job


	13. Problems

**Chapter 13 - Problems**

Slowly opening her eyes, Tea turned over to the side and groaned. She was lying on a large, soft bed, and looking over at a nearby nigh stand, she could read on the digital clock 6:04 flashing brightly. The room was very dark, and she hoped that it was nighttime. "_What happened to me?_" she thought as she rolled onto her back and put a hand on her forehead. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the events before she passed out. "_I can't believe I did that, but where was I? I remember going to school, being assigned that project with Kaiba, then walking home with–_"

Her eyes went wide in shock as realization struck her. "_Kaiba?! Where is he? Did he abandon me? I wouldn't put it past the selfish asshole. I know he always wanted to push me off a bridge. So where am I? Did somebody kidnap me? Am I being held hostage somewhere?!_" Millions of ideas were swarming inside her skull, each one more fearful than the next, when she heard motion across the room.

"Wh-Who's there?" she whispered, fear and panic setting into her system. Yet the motion ceased, and she wondered if she had just heard something out of this fear. Looking back over at the night stand, she saw a lamp behind the digital clock. "_I'll just turn it on and see if anybody is here. If not, I'll try to sneak out before I get caught._" Seconds went by like minutes as she slowly reached out and touched the lamp, jumping back at the realization it turned on by touch. Looking over across the room, she gasped at the sight in front of her.

Seto Kaiba was sleeping in a black recliner, his hair slightly messed up from tossing and turning. He was still in his school uniform, yet he was lying slightly to one side. His one arm was on the armrest; the other hung loosely across his stomach. "_He must have brought me to his house,_" Tea thought as she slowly stood up out of bed. Looking around the room, she realized that it fit Seto's style. "_He brought me to his house, and most likely his room, to rest? What did I miss out on? And where's Mokuba?_"

Walking over to the limp figure on the recliner, Tea smiled slightly at the form before her. There was no smirk on his face, no evil in his closed eyes, no tenseness in his body. He almost looked entirely different in some strange way. He looked...at peace. Before she could help herself, she brushed a few bangs out of his face only to be met with a grimace on his face.

She quickly jumped back and watched as Seto's eyes slowly opened and focused, just as hers had done several minutes ago. He quickly stared up at her and sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand. "What are you doing hovering over me?" he asked as he slowly sat up and groaned at the pain in his body. Tea could only imagine how uncomfortable the recliner felt compared to bed she had just been lying in.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," she said when something caught her eye. Looking over to a nearby large window, she gasped and quickly ran up to it. The sun was coming up! It was six _in the morning_, not six at night like she had thought! Feeling a sudden hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see Seto glaring down at her. Even when his clothing wasn't straightened and his hair was in slight disarray, Seto's glare managed to shake her slightly.

"Why did you pass out yesterday?" The question had been so blunt that it made her cringe slightly at the force behind it.

"_So...I really did pass out in front of this asshole,_" Tea thought. "_But how could I explain to him what's going on in my house? He wouldn't understand, and he probably wouldn't even care to begin with. So why is he asking?_"

"What do you care?" she answered in as cold a voice she could muster.

"The teacher said you've been behind in school. You were practically falling asleep in class, and I saw you wipe the tears away afterwards as well. You fell asleep while walking home, which you said wasn't more than a fifteen minute walk. That's not you. I want to know what the hell is going on."

"Why? So you can make fun of me for not taking care of myself like I've always preached about?"

Seto's eyes showed a different emotion in them suddenly, and it made Tea blink in shock. Was it...hurt she just saw? No, it couldn't be. His eyes immediately went back to their coldness, and he said, "If we're going to be doing this project, I need you awake and healthy. All I want to know is why you passed out."

Sighing in defeat, Tea's options were quite limited. She could stand here all morning and argue it out or just tell him the truth and be done with it. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she hung her head and replied, "I...I haven't been taking care of myself lately. I've been having a lot of family issues, which was why I wanted you to come over tonight...well, last night now. I didn't want something bad to occur, but now...now look what I've done."

Feeling pressure on her shoulders, she looked up to see Seto's blue eyes analyzing her. His eyes weren't their usual cold anymore. They weren't welcoming, but they showed something different. Something...human. Finally, he smirked and said, "Don't worry about the project. We can just make up some bullshit about visiting. I really didn't want to go to your house to begin with anyway. Looks like it works out for the both of us."

Seto released his grip on Tea's shoulders, and she watched him walk across the room and sit on the edge of his bed. She followed his path and leaned up against the bedpost. "Thank you for bringing me here," she finally whispered, noticing his head perk up as she did so. "I know you could've just found out where I lived and taken me home. Thanks for taking me to a...nevermind. Just thank you for this." She mentally bit her tongue; damn her big mouth.

"To a what?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just thanks for this."

"I may be a heartless, cruel bastard, but I don't leave people to rot outside when they pass out," he answered. The way he said it made Tea look down at him. He was staring at the ground, his hands together in one large fist. Sighing, he stood up and walked to the doorway. "The bathroom is right over there," he said, pointing at another doorway. "There's some towels in there you may use. The shampoo and soap are on a ledge. I'm sure you'll find it. I'll go downstairs and start making breakfast." With that, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"_What, that's it?_" she thought. "_No worry, no hint of sadness, no more questions? Just leave me here?_" Smiling, Tea closed her eyes and hung her head slightly. "_Either he knew I didn't want to talk about it, or he just doesn't care. Either way, it keeps me from revealing my life to him. He doesn't need to be involved. Nobody does..._" Deciding to take up the offer, Tea turned around and headed toward the bathroom, hoping to get a nice, hot shower before school.


	14. The Outsider

**Chapter 14 - The Outsider**

The black gates opened as the two entered the large courtyard outside the fortress. All was silent; not even the gentle breeze that usually swept by was moving. All was still, and it made the tension even worse as the gates shut behind them. A twisted tree was their greeting that spun around almost like a braid, its branches deformed. Walking around the tree and up to the main double doors, a skeletal guard held up its hand and asked, "Gta uhhjaurtyl?"

"Satr and Sliva," Sliva answered. The doors opened, and the two were led into a large foyer. A red, glass chandelier hung from black chains, and the floor was a dark gray marble. The walls were splattered black and red, and several weapons hung from the walls.

"He will see you shortly," the guard replied before returning to his post outside. Once the double doors closed, Sliva let out a sigh.

"How do you think he will take this news?" she asked, looking over at her brother.

"I don't think he'll be surprised," Satr answered truthfully. "This is a holy forest, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't even mind the fact that he's missing. He doesn't like drama in this forest, and he definitely doesn't chase after it. But it's our job to keep him updated, and this has certainly been on everybody's lips as of late."

Sliva chuckled and said, "Let us hope he doesn't mind." Looking up, she smiled at the sight of Brenjin up in the balcony. Brenjin walked down the large staircase that resembled two thorns which came together as he took his steps downward. Curling back up as he reached the bottom, Sliva curtsied while Satr bowed at their superior.

Brenjin was the leader of Amalgam, the holy forest. It was his duty to make sure no violence occurred in its walls, and it was his duty to make sure everyone was prepared to protect this place should it fall under attack. He was a very small demon, only reaching a height of three feet. His hair was spiked red, and his light grey skin was matched with cold grey eyes. Wearing a yellow robe with violent markings on it, his wealth was clearly shown. "You two have come for what reasons?" he questioned, putting his hands behind his back and staring up at the two. Though his appearance showed otherwise, Brenjin was a ruthless leader and one of the most elite masters of stealth.

"We came to inform you about the latest news on Abraxas," Satr answered. "He's–"

"He's gone," Brenjin interrupted, waving his hand as if to shrug it off. "Yes, I know. The disease has been destroyed, and all is well again."

"The disease was destroyed?" Sliva asked, looking in confusion at her brother and Brenjin. "But that would mean that Abraxas should have returned by now. Rajjyrd?"

"Incorrect," Brenjin remarked. "Even though the disease is gone, Abraxas obviously wanted to stay a little longer. He made a deal with a human; the man's afterlife for his brother's life, which was what the Rela Veli was infecting at the time. A clever move on his part, but a misunderstood move at that."

"So he wanted to stay in the human realm from the start...?"

"That we're not sure. We believe so at this time, but so far we've had no luck with informational leads."

"Why would he want to go to the human realm?" Satr asked. "Doesn't he enjoy it here? How old is the man he signed his life away to? Hopefully not a young human being, lest he stays in the human realm for years on end. He's already been gone a full two weeks."

"Abraxas has always been an outsider," Brenjin commented. "You two know that as well as I do. He's always been different. Ldjumny. Yet now that seems to be against us, for he's made a deal behind our backs."

"Can't you end the contract he has with the human?"

"I could, but I want to see more of what he's doing. We're thinking about sending a spy into the human realm to watch over him."

"Won't that attract attention?" Sliva questioned. "We hate attention, and with these wars coming–"

"These wars are not our main concern!" Brenjin shouted, startling the twins. "You know as well as I do that when these wars erupt, the last thing we'll need to worry about is an idiot demon wandering about the human realm. Quite frankly I don't care what Abraxas does at this point. He made this contract, and it's his to deal with. But I don't want a big mess to occur, which is why we're considering the spy. This will be a last resort should any news travel around, however, and for now we'll just let him go."

"Just...let him go?"

"Yes. You know Abraxas has never been one to do as asked. In my mind, it's better this way. He's out of our hair, and we can continue our daily lives without watching over him like a schizophrenic. Let him go." Coughing slightly, Brenjin nodded his head and said, "This is what we'll do, and that's that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting commencing in several minutes. I'll have to ask you both to leave. Thank you for the update on that brat, however. Hope your magical practices go well."

"Thank you, sir," Satr said as he bowed once more. The twins watched Brenjin walk back up the thorn staircase and leave the foyer, slamming the doors behind him. Looking over at Sliva, Satr asked, "Do you really think he meant to leave this realm like Brenjin believes?"

"In all honesty, it wouldn't surprise me," Sliva answered. "But Brenjin is right. Abraxas has always been the outsider. Though he is skilled in many things, he's never used them for the good of the demon realms. It may be the best option to just let him be."

"Perhaps," Satr replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "It just bugs me that Abraxas would leave like this."

"Come brother," Sliva said, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Let it go. I know you two are good friends, but we cannot worry about him. Come, let us practice some more." Satr nodded his head, and the two left the foyer in an upsetting silence.

* * *

Gta uhhjaurtyl? - Who approaches?

Rajjyrd? - Correct?

Ldjumny. - Strange.


	15. Pancakes

**Author's Note: **Hello there. I just wanted to take a moment out to thank all those who have written reviews on this story. You guys are a huge motivation, and I really appreciate all the comments I've received. Thanks to all you out there who support this story! Oh, and congrats to Emil The Fallen who figured out the demon language :D. For that, you get a cookie -hands cookie-

**Chapter 15 - Pancakes**

Tea walked down the large staircase and into the nearby kitchen, wondering what she would say to Kaiba. He hadn't asked about her problems, which she was thankful for, but they still had a project that needed to be done. "_He said not to worry about it, that he would make something up,_" she thought. "_But how are we going to make up a visit to my house? Actually, I was hoping maybe he would come over and get to know me a bit more. He's right; I need a friend. I didn't use Mokuba in that hospital room, but I do still need a friend._" She growled and thought, "_Dammit, Yugi, why did you have to start that shit?_"

Sitting down at the kitchen table, she saw a maid come in a smile at her. She had brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, was very skinny, and looked to be in her mid-twenties. She wasn't wearing a normal maid's attire; instead, she wore black pants and a white shirt. It looked like a professional maid in a business sense. She set a plate of pancakes down in front of Tea and asked, "Is there anything you want to drink?"

Tea, who never had a maid wait on her before, was slightly taken aback. "Um, could I have a cup of tea please?"

"Yes, ma'am," the maid said before leaving the room. Tea looked down at the two large pancakes and smiled. Good thing she was hungry. There was a packet of syrup placed on the edge of the plate, and she quickly opened it up and poured half of it onto her pancakes. Taking a bite out of them, her smile widened.

"_Damn, these are some good pancakes,_" Tea thought. Looking around, she noticed that Kaiba was absent. "_Maybe he already ate? Probably. He wouldn't consider eating with a low-life like myself. Although I do have to give him credit for taking me in for the night. He could have just as easily left me there on the sidewalk or taken me home._"

"Is everything to your liking?" the maid asked as she came in with a cup of tea.

"Yes, very much," Tea replied. "Thank you. But, um..."

"Yes?" the maid asked when Tea didn't continue.

"Where is Kaiba? Did he eat already?"

"Mr. Kaiba never eats breakfast," the maid answered. "I've asked him several times about it, but he just refuses to eat in the morning. He usually works in the library until it's time to leave for school if you're looking for him."

"Do you have any extra pancakes?"

"Yes. They're in the refrigerator. Mokuba likes to eat them."

Tea smirked and stood up. "Well, he's getting some breakfast today!" The maid smiled and led her into a large kitchen. Counters lined two of the walls with a few more counters in the center, and some chairs were placed so that people could eat at the counter. A large refrigerator was in place next to a sink and dishwasher. A window on the far side allowed some sunlight to come in. What shocked Tea the most was the amount of plants in the room. There was a table with several herbs growing on it, and a plant hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room. "Kaiba designed this?" she asked, looking around in awe.

"Yes. The plants are mostly mine, but he said he likes having a kitchen with plants in it. He said his mother used to have it like that, and he enjoyed the aromas of the herbs."

"_That doesn't sound like Kaiba,_" Tea thought as she walked over to the refrigerator. "_But then again, what do I really know about him?_" Opening the door up, Tea spotted the plate of leftover pancakes and smiled. She took them out and, grabbing another plate out of a nearby cabinet, she placed a pancake on the plate and put it in the microwave. Taking the hot water off the stove, she quickly stirred in some tea just as the buzzer rang. Finishing it up was a packet of syrup.

"He'll be in the back of the library," the maid stated. "He doesn't like to be disturbed in the morning."

"Well, he's being disturbed today," Tea joked, smiling and thanking the maid before leaving. She walked out of the kitchen and dining room and down the hallway until she saw a set of wooden double doors. "_Knowing him, the doors leading to a room like the library are sure to be fancy,_" she thought. Sure enough, as she opened the doors up, she saw bookshelves lining the walls and center of the room. It looked like a library, and it took a moment for reality to set in. Walking slowly down the aisle, she gasped when she heard a voice.

"I'm not getting involved, okay?" It was Kaiba!

"_What's he doing? Talking to himself?_" Tea chuckled and continued down the aisle to see Kaiba sitting at a nearby desk. He was staring at a computer screen, and she thought, "_Probably just pissed off at an employee or something._" She smiled and set the plate and cup down on the desk, waiting for him to turn around. When he did, he didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"What are you doing, Gardner?" Kaiba asked, looking down at the plate before back at his computer. "If the maid didn't tell you already, I don't eat breakfast."

"She did," Tea answered. "But I think you should eat something."

"And I think you should mind your own business. You obviously have enough problems as it is; you shouldn't have to babysit me."

Tea pursed her lips together at the comment, knowing full well it was true. Letting out a sigh, she looked around the room and smiled. "This your book collection?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes."

"You read often?"

"No, I just collect books so that they gather dust," he said sarcastically.

"Maybe we could do our paper on reading," Tea said. "I've always loved to read, ever since I was a kid."

"Good for you."

"What genres do you enjoy reading?"

Kaiba sighed and looked over at Tea. "Are you ready for school yet? If not, I suggest you do so."

"I'm ready to go," Tea answered. "And I'm not leaving until you eat a bite of your pancake."

Seto smirked and said, "Well, you'll be sitting here for awhile then."

"Come on. We have to do the paper on something. What genres do you like to read? I can tell you're ignoring the question. Why? Because I might tell the world that Seto Kaiba likes to read fantasy?"

"I don't like fantasy," he remarked, glaring slightly at her. "I read philosophy and science fiction. Mokuba reads all the fantasy books in here. Happy?"

"Oh. I like some fantasy, but I do like science fiction as well. Do you want to write our report on that?"

Sighing, Kaiba muttered, "Fine." He looked at the pancakes before looking back up at Tea. "You know I'm not going to eat those, right?"

"I know. I figured I'd just be nice." He shook his head slightly and looked over at the digital clock on the wall.

"Time to go to school," he said as he shut down the computer. He looked over at her and added. "Throw those pancakes away before we leave."


	16. Desperate

**Chapter 16 - Desperate**

Seto walked outside and sat down on a deserted bench before opening the bag of chips that was to be his lunch. Closing his eyes and leaning back in the seat, he smiled for a split second, taking in the silence surrounding him. "I don't think I'll ever understand you," Abraxas commented, sitting on the chair next to him and looking out at the street nearby. "One minute you hate her, the next minute she's your brother's new tutor. How does that work out?"

Looking over at the demon, Seto rolled his eyes and ate a chip before answering. "I just know where she's coming from," he answered.

"Excuse me?"

"I needed a tutor for Mokuba anyway," he replied. "He says he hates school, and he knows as well as I do that he's taking over KaibaCorp once he's old enough. He's actually excited about it, which is kind of hard to imagine. But I told him awhile back I'd get him a tutor, and now it works out. Besides, we can finish the project easier this way."

Abraxas shook his head and said, "I still don't understand." Seto merely chuckled and closed his eyes, remembering the deal he had made with Tea.

- - -

_They had been working on their project in class, each listing down the reasons why they enjoyed reading. Seto refused to get into a deep discussion about it during school, and surprisingly Tea had readily agreed. So the two had just been writing down their own personal opinions, the total opposite of what everyone else was doing. Most groups weren't even doing their projects; they were talking about drama in school or other stupid shit. For once, Seto was pleased with having Tea around. That's when things went...well, strange._

_Suddenly jumping out of her seat, Tea had asked to go to the bathroom. She quickly left the room, and it took Seto a moment to realize she had just left. Figuring she just had to go to the bathroom badly or what-not, he shrugged his shoulders and continued his paper. He hated revealing this shit to her, but he kept telling himself it was for a good grade. Afterwards, he wouldn't have anything to do with her._

_It had been nearly fifteen minutes before Tea came back, her face slightly pale and body shaking. The teacher had asked if she was okay, and she answered that everything was fine. The moment she sat down, however, Seto could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Now what?" he had asked. "Don't tell me I have to deal with this for a week..."_

"_I don't have a place to live," she had whispered. It made Seto do a double-take before asking the obvious question._

"_What?"_

"_I don't have a place to live," she repeated, this time a bit slower. "My mom just called me. That's why I left so fast; I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and left to answer it. She was pissed off at the fact that I didn't come home last night. I tried to explain to her the situation, but she wouldn't buy it. Said I was out fucking some guy or something. So now...I'm not allowed to go back home."_

_All Seto could do was stare at her. He would never have believed this girl, who loved companions and friendship, would ever live with that type of family. And the fact that she had just explained to him her situation... "I'm sorry," was all he could say._

"_For what?" she had asked, looking up in surprise at him. "You've done nothing wrong. This is all my problem. Besides, I'm sure you really don't care about whether or not I have a place to stay."_

_That statement had pierced through Seto like a bullet. Sure he was heartless, but did she really think that low of him? It immediately dawned on him that she knew nothing of his past, and he liked it that way. With this defense, however, it put him at a disadvantage. She probably thought he came from a wealthy family and got lucky. End of story. _

_An awkward silence held over the two, and all Seto could do was go back to his work. He noticed her just staring down at the paper, not writing a single thing down, but he didn't mind. He knew what it was like not knowing what to expect the next day, whether you would be alive or dead..whether you'd have a place to call home... He had experienced that too well. Being alone was sometimes the best thing for a person. _

_After another couple of minutes passed, Seto sighed and put his paper away before looking back at Tea. Her head perked up slightly, and she looked over at him and smiled. "Okay, I'm in a desperate situation, so that means go to desperate measures." The way her style had changed from depressed to happy scared Seto slightly. "Do you have any job openings available? At KaibaCorp, I mean."_

_He glared at her and asked, "What do you mean, job openings?"_

"_If I'm going to be living on my own, I'll need a job," she explained. "I'm sure you pay well, and I'll need some good cash to buy out an apartment place. I refuse to live on the streets like some dog. So, do you have any openings available?"_

_As much as he wanted to say yes, he couldn't. Not because he personally didn't like the girl, but because there simply were no job openings at the time. "Sorry, afraid not," he answered truthfully._

"_How about a maid, then? Babysitter? Just something?"_

_Looking down at his desk, Seto sighed and went to say no when he remembered Mokuba. The kid had loathed school all his life; he just wanted to take over KaibaCorp. He was just as smart as his brother and just as bored in school. Smirking up at Tea, he said, "I may have an offer."_

"_Name it."_

"_Mokuba despises going to school. I've promised to get him a tutor, but I haven't gotten around to it. Why don't you tutor him after school for a couple of hours? I'll pay you well since you''ll be moving into a new home. Does that sound good?"_

_The way her face lit up made a small smile appear on his face for a split second before he realized it and changed it into a smirk. "Oh, thank you so much, Kaiba!" she exclaimed. "I'll still have to find a place to stay, but for now I at least have a job. Thanks a lot..." _

- - -

Eating another chip, Seto let out a sigh and leaned forward onto his knees. He knew inviting this girl into his house would probably cause a lot of problems for him, but he just didn't have the heart to say no to her. He had never been kicked out of the house before, but he knew what it was like to be told he was. He knew how having such a horrible family situation felt. The fact that she was this cheery about the situation confused Seto. "She's quite the optimistic one," he thought aloud, finishing his bag of chips and throwing them away.


	17. A Place Called Home

**Chapter 17 - A Place Called Home**

Seto Kaiba leaned against the limo parked outside the school, waiting for his younger brother's new tutor to arrive. Abraxas was already in the car reading a book that he had picked out of Seto's library (he insisted that human books were amusing). Seeing Tea walk toward him, he smirked and opened the door for her, watching her sit inside. Slamming the door shut, he walked around and, opening the door, took his seat and shut the door. "May we go to my house first?" Tea asked, looking over at Seto. "I want to pick my things up. After I tutor your brother, I'm going to start looking for an apartment and stay at Mai's until then."

Seto nodded his head and knocked on the tinted glass between the back and front of the limo. "Driver, take us to..." Looking back, he eyed Tea and nodded toward the driver.

"207 Winter Street," she answered. The limo started off, and Seto let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat. An awkward silence hung in the air for several minutes before Tea finally said, "Thank you again for all this, Kaiba."

He simply shrugged his shoulders and replied, "It works out for both of us." The car became silent once again, and Seto shot a glare at Abraxas when he heard the demon laughing at the stupid book.

"What's wrong?" Tea asked. Seto cursed himself; he wasn't used to being watched on his way home. He had to be careful of his actions.

"Nothing," he answered, staring out the window. "Thought I heard something." A few more minutes of silence ensued before the limo came to a stop.

"We're here, Mr. Kaiba," the driver answered. Seto got out of the limo and walked around until he was standing next to Tea.

"Um, I can get my things myself," Tea replied, apparently shocked that the CEO had gotten out.

"I don't want you getting killed for picking up your things," he replied. "I didn't come out here to pick up your luggage."

"Oh...okay." Rolling his eyes, he followed her into her home, which was actually a pretty nice size. He walked up the cement walkway and waited for her to take out her keys. "Mom's not here right now; her car would be in the driveway." Seto noticed this but followed her inside anyway into a small foyer. "I'll just get my things quickly upstairs. Stay here, and yell if Mom comes home. I don't want to talk to her right now." He watched her run up the stairs and turn the corner, leaving him alone in her home.

"_Why am I getting involved with her family situation?_" Seto thought to himself as he looked around the room. A closet door was on the left wall, and on the right was a little table with a large mirror above it. On the table were several pictures of what looked like Tea when she was younger along with a few other people. "_This is the exactly opposite of what I want! I hate getting involved in matters that aren't my own, yet that's exactly what I'm doing! But why? She needed a job, and I needed a tutor. It just worked out. Now I'm stuck babysitting her while her mother's doing God knows what._" Walking over to the mirror, Seto looked down at some of the pictures and remembered the one of Mokuba dangling around his neck.

"_She needed a job, and I gave it to her. She's homeless right now. I'm not that heartless about her situation. I know what it's like not having a place to call home. Sure, I've lived in several houses during my life, but never did I consider them homes._" Picking up one of the pictures, he saw a small Tea in a field, smiling and waving at the camera. "_I don't even think Mokuba has any pictures of me like this, save the one in his necklace. Of course, Gozaburo never took any pictures of us. He wished we were dead._"

Letting out a sigh, he placed the picture back down and looked into the mirror. "_God...how many years has it been since he left? Two...maybe three. No, it was two. Mokuba and I moved out two years ago. I couldn't stand to be in that mansion any longer. Not after all that torment, that abuse... Not after all that. How was I supposed to call that my home after all that happened inside those walls? Not even Mokuba had the heart to call it home. We needed a home, not just a house._"

Seto chuckled and shook his head. "_Who would've thought Tea, of all people, would now have that same problem on her hands? The way she talks about her mother, I'm sure this place is anything but a home to her. Christ, she's terrified of her mother showing up here. Guess I should be watching..._" He walked back over to the doorway and saw no car in the driveway. Leaning against the door, he looked out the window, expecting to see a car come up the driveway any second.

"_Maybe that's why I'm helping her out. I know what that's like. I understand her situation. Hell, I'm sure not many people would like I do. But goddammit, why do I have to get involved?! I have my own problems! I have the company, Mokuba, Abraxas to deal with...along with my own problems. I don't need her family baggage as well!_"

"Sorry that took awhile," he heard her say. Turning back, he saw coming down the stairs with a small suitcase and a backpack. "Couldn't find a couple of things and had to search for them. Thanks for waiting."

"That's all you have?" he asked, staring in surprise at her small amount of luggage.

"Mom never bought me much," she explained. "And some things I just...don't want to be burdened with." She looked back and smirked at the pictures before turning to face Seto. "What are you doing looking at the pictures, Kaiba?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I set that up myself. You put the one picture in the wrong spot. Why are you looking at them?"

"I just...wanted to see it," he answered, slightly taken aback.

"What, you like seeing me when I was five?"

He smirked and rolled his eyes. "It simply caught my attention."

"Mom took this picture, but I took most of them myself. I love taking pictures of people. Just a hobby, I guess. You have any pictures of Mokuba and you?"

"No," he answered flatly. "Now let's get going. You have some tutoring to do, and I have work at the company."

"Okay," she answered, grabbing her things and following him outside. They loaded the limo with what she considered luggage before getting back in and sitting down. The limo started up once more, and this time Seto told the driver to take them to his house. He heard Tea giggle and glared at her.

"What now?" he asked.

"Maybe I can take a picture of you and Mokuba as a thank you," she joked. All Seto did was smirk and look out the window.


	18. Demon Wars

**Chapter 18 - Demon Wars**

Seto walked outside to the balcony connected to his bedroom and sat down on a nearby chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Abraxas quickly walked up to the railing and sat on it, facing Seto and smiling at him. "It's funny," Abraxas said after awhile. "When it's dark in the human realm, not much seems to be going on. In Amalgam, it's always dark, so there's always something happening. It feels too quiet."

"What? Do you demons have jobs?"

"No. We're always practicing. My friends, the twins, always practice their magic, like I already told you. Their qunor. Most of the skeletons practice day and night their sword skills."

"Seems like a lot of violence for what you call a holy forest," Seto replied, leaning back in his chair and looking back to make sure the door was shut tight. The last thing he needed was Tea coming in here and thinking he was talking to an imaginary friend.

Abraxas chuckled. "Well, when you're preparing for what we are, you have to be ready no matter what."

"Which is?"

"The demon wars."

At this, Seto burst out laughing. "The demon wars?" he stuttered through laughs as he calmed himself down. "What, is that like some fantasy series or something? The coming demon wars from hell?"

Abraxas glared over at Seto, making him calm down. "No. The demon wars are when all the demons enter a large battle which will inevitably change the entire universe, including your pathetic human realm. That's right; you'll be affected to."

Seto eyed the demon suspiciously before asking, "What do you mean, affect us?"

"I'm not sure. We aren't quite aware of the dangers this war will have, but we know it will somehow affect the human realm along with all the other realms. Not as badly as our realms, naturally, but it will affect it nonetheless."

"And why are you planning on having a war? Don't you guys know how to get along?"

"No better than you humans do. You humans obviously hate each other even more than we do. We're going into battle because of a long history written in us. We have cause to battle. You humans..." Abraxas shook his head and chuckled. "I'll never understand you."

Seto stared up at the moon and let out a sigh. "I know. It's pathetic. We humans treat each other like shit."

"You would know," Abraxas replied, pointing at Seto and grabbing his attention. "Just look at the way you treat that girl. Although some of your actions were kind, on the whole you seem pretty rude to her."

Seto closed his eyes and merely whispered, "I just don't want to get involved."

Abraxas shook his head no before continuing. "No, you wanted to get involved. If you didn't, you wouldn't have helped her in the first place. That's the thing I like about us demons. We're blunt and to the point. We voice our opinions, which is the whole reason we started this long history of wars and battles. We're also true to ourselves. If we feel strongly about something, we admit it no matter how stupid it may sound. You humans are the total opposite. Take you for example. I know you care about that girl; I watch you eyeing her in school and such. Hell, you even helped her get a job! But now you're telling me you don't want to get involved with her. That's an absolute lie, and you know it."

"What did you say that started the war?" Seto asked, looking back up at the sky. He wanted to change the subject badly, mainly because he knew what the demon was saying was true.

"Ah, dty djedt daa qert da tumfzy?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Now, to your question. I don't know the details since I grew up in Amalgam, but I believe the two realms of Relint and Salism began the ordeal. Apparently their leaders began fighting over demons since some demons were changing sides, and it upset a lot of the demon realms. However, Amalgam is a holy forest, and it was spared this nonsense. Now we have to prepare to defend Amalgam when the war begins, for we don't want violence to enter it."

"And what did you practice? You mentioned earlier that you didn't learn the magic from your friends."

Abraxas chuckled again and smiled. "No, I didn't. I simply don't practice."

"You don't practice...anything?"

"No. I'm what you humans may call a black sheep. I never believed in the demon wars. I've always thought they would be a waste of time. In fact, for awhile, I even questioned whether or not they would really happen. But they will in time, and hopefully I'll be in the human realm when it happens."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'll be the first one killed. Demons always sacrifice their weakest links first. It's a survival of the fittest attitude in our world, which I'm to understand is also in your world. Since I've never believed in these wars, and therefore I've never practiced any trade, I'll be killed on the spot."

"Is that why you made this deal? You wanted to stay here?"

"Mainly. I was bored as well, however, and I've always wanted to study you humans from a closer vantage point. This just made everything much easier."

"I see." All this knowledge made Seto swallow the lump in his throat. It made his life seem so small. Other demon realms were busy waging wars, and here he was in the human realm owning a company. Suddenly, his life didn't seem nearly as important as he thought it was. It really made him put things into perspective.

Abraxas hopped off the railing and smiled. "I'm going downstairs to go through your library again. You should probably go to bed soon; you look dead tired. Oh, and uh, tell that girl I said goodnight." Bursting out laughing at his own joke, Abraxas walked back into the mansion, leaving Seto outside by himself.

"_The demon wars..._" Seto thought as he slowly got up and headed back into his room. "_It's hard to believe, yet he wouldn't lie to me about something like that. He seemed rather offended when I laughed it off._" Turning back around to look up at the black sky, he thought, "_Really makes my life look boring. What's a company when there are demons and skeletons in other realms preparing for battle?_" Closing the door shut, he quickly went over to his bed and laid down, falling into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Ah, dty djedt daa qert da tumfzy? - Ah, the truth too much to handle?


	19. Reading

**Chapter 19 - Reading**

Tea entered Kaiba's bedroom and shut the door behind her as she watched the man sit on the edge of his bed and take out a folder. They had decided to start working on the project together since they both agreed they couldn't figure out any more ways or reasons for enjoying reading. She placed her folder on the floor and sat down, not caring if there was a recliner behind her to sit on.

"So, I came up with a list of things," she explained as she took out a few papers. "Do we want to start with reasons why we enjoy reading, or environments we prefer when reading, or–"

"We should start with enjoying reading," Kaiba said. "That's the main part of report. We'll put in all the important things, and once we finish the visiting parts later on, we can just add them in where they seem to fit."

Tea nodded her head in agreement and took a few more papers out before closing her folder. She was surprised at how civil Kaiba was being to her. He was actually treating her quite well given their past circumstances. He had offered a job, paying her a good amount of money, and was helping her get her grade up. It wasn't like his grade was in jeopardy like hers was. "You want to just say reasons why and see if we have any similarities?"

"Sure," he said as he laid back onto his bed, holding his paper above him to read it. It was something a normal teenager would do, and it shocked Tea that Kaiba was actually acting like a teenager, even in the slightest bit.

"Okay. I listed that I like learning new vocabulary, and it's helped me with creativity and writing. I also like it because it takes me away from the real world, and it's something that I can simply enjoy."

"I listed the real world reason," Kaiba said. "I also said I like learning new things. Mostly though, I like seeing the different styles of writing."

"Alright. I'll star the ones we have similar. Oh, should we write down our favorite books?"

"I don't care."

"We may get extra for doing so, especially if our favorite books are similar."

At this, Kaiba chuckled. "I highly doubt that."

"My favorite book is Wicked. What's yours?"

"Perfume."

"Perfume? I don't think I've ever heard of that one."

Again, Kaiba chuckled. "I can get it for you if you want. It's in my library, but I was thinking about reading it again."

"Again?"

"I've read it nearly five times."

"You must really like it."

Kaiba sat up and smirked, although she could see a hint of a real smile in it. "Do you want to see it or not?"

"Sure," she answered, watching him as he stood up and walk out, leaving her alone. She smiled and shook her head before returning to her paper. "_I wonder why he's been so nice to me,_" she thought as she began listing her favorite books. "_It's not like we've had a good past. Maybe he's not as much of an asshole as I originally thought. Hell, he's helped me so much already, and he doesn't seem troubled at helping me with this project._"

Looking up, she quickly walked over to his folder and picked up the paper with his writing on it. She saw several books written down already, Perfume being one of them. "_Perfume doesn't sound like a Seto Kaiba book,_" she thought. "_I wonder what it's about..._" She smiled and looked through more of the books, surprised to find Wicked in the list. "_Maybe this won't be as hard to write as I thought it would be._"

She went to place the paper down when she quickly swiped her hand on another. Drawing her hand back, she groaned at the sight of blood coming out of her finger. "_Great, a lovely paper cut,_" she thought bitterly. Going into the nearby bathroom, she quickly found a box of bandages and got out a small bandage, wrapping it around her finger and throwing the paper away. She then walked back out into Kaiba's room when something caught her eye. She looked down to see a picture on his night stand.

"_I've been wondering why he looked at my photo,_" she thought as she walked over to see a picture of what looked like a younger Kaiba and Mokuba in a park. She smiled; the Kaiba in that picture looked entirely different from the one she knew today. "_He looks so happy in the photo...wonder what happened to him? I mean, Noa's world showed us that Gozaburo man, but what did he seriously do to Kaiba?_"

Suddenly, an object caught her eye. Looking down, she saw a silver ring with a black orb embedded into it. Picking it up, she looked at from several angles, taking in the beauty of it. "_Wow, where did he get this?_" she thought. "_Maybe someone gave it to him? I wonder who would_–"

"What are you doing?" she heard a voice asking. Dropping the ring on the night stand, Tea quickly turned around to see Kaiba staring at her hard, a book in his hand. "I leave for five minutes, and already you're looking through my stuff."

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I-I got a paper cut and went to get a band-aid when I saw the picture. So who got you that ring? It's really pretty."

"You didn't...try the ring on, did you?" he asked. Tea looked at him suspiciously. She could see...fear in his eyes? What?

"No," she answered. "Why?"

"Nothing. It's just...really important. I don't like people touching that ring."

"Who gave it to you?"

"I bought it myself. Here, the book." She smiled and walked over to him, taking the book out of his hands and looking at it.

"What's it about?"

"A man who has amazing olfactory senses." Tea's quizzical look made him laugh, and she nearly smiled at the laugh. It was almost a happy laugh, not an I'm-superior-to-you laugh. "He could smell extremely well," he explained. "He finds a scent that drives him mad, and he ends up killing several people in order to retrieve this scent."

"And what scent was that?"

Kaiba went to answer when another voice interrupted their conversation. "Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed, running up to the doorway. "Hey, the maid said it's soon dinnertime! Are you staying, Tea?"

Tea looked up at Kaiba to see a pure smile on the man's face as he looked down at his younger sibling. She had to give him credit; no matter how heartless he seemed, Kaiba would literally throw himself into Hell itself for the boy. "Only if your brother wants me to," she answered, smiling up at Kaiba, who turned to face her.

"Fine," was all he said. Mokuba jumped for joy and ran down the hallway, making the two chuckle. Kaiba began walking out when Tea grabbed his arm. "What?" he asked, turning around to face her.

"You never answered my question?"

"Huh?"

"What scent was it that drove him crazy in the book?"

Kaiba smirked and, jerking his arm out of her grip, walked up to her until their faces were nearly centimeters apart. She could feel the heat rising up in her cheeks, and she smiled slightly at the sudden awkwardness.

"It was a woman," Kaiba answered, smirking before walking over to the night stand, pocketing the ring, and walking out of the room.


	20. Theories

**Chapter 20 - Theories**

Abraxas sat on the nearby recliner, looking above his book to see the boy lying in bed, his chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. It was nearly four in the morning, and Seto Kaiba lay dead asleep in front of him. Smirking, Abraxas placed the book he was reading on the nearby table and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it and brushing a few strands of hair out of the boy's face.

"_I'll never understand this boy,_" he thought, taking his hand back. "_He obviously cares about that girl. Why doesn't he just admit it? They seem to be getting along. He admits that they had bad relations in the past, but they're getting along just fine now. I wonder what's stopping him from just admitting the fact that he cares for somebody. He was quick to show his passion for the younger boy, but why is it so hard to do the same with the girl?_"

Letting out a sigh, Abraxas stood and walked over to the nearby window, looking up at the bright moon. "_I wonder what they have been doing in Amalgam since I left. Obviously they aren't looking for me, as they would have brought me back by now. Brenjin probably doesn't care; he has enough to worry about. Frankly I don't care either. I'd rather stay here than in that forest..._" He closed his eye and took in a large breath of air before hearing the boy behind him move. Turning around, he saw him turn over in his sleep, a look of pain on the boy's face.

"_Dammit, I forgot again!_" Abraxas saw the boy always tossing and turning in his sleep, and he had always meant to ask the boy. However, the boy would start asking him questions about his world, making him forget. "_The boy, as cynical as he is, really seems to believe me and what I say. There's something in humans that believes in the supernatural. His library proves this theory. Yet the boy acted like simple lunatics only believed. Is this true?_"

Abraxas began pacing the room, his hands massaging the back of his neck. "_These humans are so interesting, yet we demons know as much about the humans as they do about us. It's amazing how little the realms know of one another. Doesn't the boy understand that that is the reason I came here? All along, I've been searching for a way to learn about the human realm. Now that I have it, I'm learning more than I ever could in that damned forest. Yet the boy hasn't lived for eternity, so I must give him that benefit of the doubt._"

"_I'll retrieve as much information while I'm here, and when I eventually return...that is, if the demon wars haven't started yet... I'll share my information with the others. They need to understand the importance of the human realm! All this time I've been ridiculed for my obsession with the human realm, but don't they understand that that's the way it should be? We should be learning about one another, not isolating each other. It makes very little sense to do so._"

Abraxas stopped his pacing and let out a sigh. "_Maybe they were right..._" He let his hands fall to his side and looked back over at the boy sleeping on the bed. "_These humans know absolutely nothing about us. The boy was terrified of me when I first arrived here, and I can tell I'm just an annoying pest at this point. Maybe the demon and human realms really aren't supposed to interact with one another. But..with these wars..._"

Abraxas growled. "_These wars are absolutely pointless! So what if Relint and Salism could not agree on anything? Now all the demon realms are under surveillance, and soon the wars will begin and shake this realm as well as the others! And for what? An argument? It's absolutely ridiculous. And yet nobody is thinking about the consequences. Just look at those idiots in Amalgam. They're preparing to defend that forest for anything, but what's the point of invading it if it's a holy forest? There isn't one! It's all absolutely pointless!_"

"_However, this could also prove my theory that humans and demons must learn from one another. I know that humans fight for the same reasons: arguments, different perspectives, and absolutely ridiculous reasons. There's no point. Yet both races can't learn to get along. It's like the boy says; it's pathetic._"

Letting out what seemed to be the billionth sigh, Abraxas sat back down in his recliner and just stared at the boy. "_I must be patient and wait. I must collect more information. Knowledge is key at this point. From the information, maybe I can figure out how the human realm will be affected by the demon wars. I don't want this realm involved with this shit. There's another consequence nobody thought about! What if the human realm is rocked on its side because of us? They'll learn about us one way or another if that occurs, and if we don't take the necessary steps to learn about them, we're done!_"

This whole situation was making Abraxas's head hurt. He began to rub his temples, closing his eye to make sure it was working. It wasn't. "_I don't care if they ridicule me when I get back. I've craved this information since the beginning, and now I'm finally receiving it. If it can help keep the humans out of war, great. If it can't, they can't say I didn't try. I just...have to be patient._"

Hearing the boy turn in his sleep again, Abraxas looked up to see the boy dangerously close to the edge of the bed. He smirked and crawled out of the recliner, picking the boy up gently and placing him back in the center of the bed. The boy turned slightly but didn't seem disturbed by his sudden move. "_I must say I'm glad to have picked this boy,_" he thought. "_I can tell he's different than most humans. I don't want to say special, but he is different nonetheless. It's easier to see the faces of men with him. I can point out the truth, yet he continues to deny it even now. That kind of information is good to have. I know how humans put the wall up now._"

Abraxas chuckled and covered his mouth to keep from disturbing the boy. "_What a useless invention that was! I mean, why hide what you're really feeling? We demons know nothing about that. Satr continually called me out on my obsession with the humans, and Brenjin probably wanted to stab me to shut me up. Yet humans are different. They hide their emotions...It's such an alien concept. I wonder what would happen if I went back to Amalgam and kept my emotions silent? Ha, I don't think I could!_"

Quickly going back over to the recliner, Abraxas picked up his book. "_More information. That's all I need. I need to stop creating theories, only to have them shot down. I need to focus on my goal: figure out a way to keep the human realm out of the demon realm._" He smirked and looked back down at his book, beginning to read the passages, when he heard the boy turn again in his sleep. Abraxas chuckled, shook his head, and thought, "_Humans are so interesting._"


	21. Fresh Start

**Chapter 21 - Fresh Start**

Seto walked into the large living room and looked around, a smile threatening to surface. The room had wooden floors with white walls and was connected to a dining room with the same flooring and walls. A television was placed against one wall with two bookshelves beside it, and a black leather couch with two chairs was across the room. The dining room consisted of a glass table with three, dark wooden chairs. "_She really got a nice place,_" he thought, hearing Tea shut the door behind him. During the day, Tea had told him about her new apartment. She had apparently set it up over the weekend andhad invited him over as her "Honorary First Guest."

"You like it?" she asked, walking around and tossing her coat on the nearby chair. She smirked at his reaction and said, "Come on. I'll give you the grand tour."

Seto followed her into the kitchen, taking in the small space. It had a silver refrigerator, stove, and three counter tops. He then followed her down the hallway to see a small bathroom and bedroom at the end. The room had white carpet and light blue walls, and her bed had dark blue covers on it. A wooden dresser was near the closet door with a large window above it. Even though it was so much smaller than his mansion, Seto felt happy for her. He knew this was her home.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, walking back toward the kitchen. Seto sat down on one of the dining room chairs, noting out of the corner of his eye Abraxas looking outside.

"It's very...nice," he answered.

"You want something to eat? I have a couple of steaks in the freezer. Figured I would use them if somebody came over."

"Sure. Anyway I could help out?"

Tea chuckled and shook her head. "Nah, I enjoy cooking. You can open up a bottle of wine, though, if you want."

"You have wine in here?"

"Yeah. I stole a couple of bottles from my mom when I moved. I'm not an alcoholic, but I like the taste of some alcoholic beverages. Why? Don't tell me you've never tasted alcohol before?"

It was Seto's turn to chuckle. "No...I've definitely had alcohol before."

He watched her take out some steaks and start preheating the oven. Taking a couple of spices off the rack, she took out a cutting board and started seasoning the steaks. "You an alcoholic?" she asked meekly, smiling over at him.

"No." He stood up and walked into the kitchen before turning to her. "Where is the wine?"

"In the top cupboard. Here..." Opening a nearby cabinet, she took out a knife and said, "Our bottle opener." Seto smirked and, placing the bottle on the counter top, stabbed the cork and pulled it out. He then found two glasses and poured the two some wine.

"You sure you don't need any help?" he asked as he sat back down again, sipping his wine.

"Yep," she stated cheerfully, placing the steaks in the oven. Walking over to the table, she smiled and sipped her wine as well. "Thank you for coming over. I figured since you helped me with everything, you should be the first one to visit."

"It's nothing," he said.

"Oh, so you would do this for anyone?"

"I didn't say that," he countered. "I simply said it's nothing."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment, the two taking a gulp of their wine, before Tea asked, "So why me?"

Seto slightly choked on his wine. "What do you mean, why you?"

"Why did you help me? I know you don't like me, so why help me through all this? Why help me when I have problems, when in the past you've made it obvious you want no part of anybody's drama? Why help me...start fresh?"

Seto slowly set his glass down on the table. Abraxas's mocking laughter could be heard, making him let out a hard sigh. "I just...felt...bad for you."

"You felt bad?" she repeated, her voice stern.

"It's just...family has never been good for me, and so when I see someone with family problems, I understand where they're coming from." He looked up at Tea to see her eyes searching his face. "You were in Noa's world. You saw how psychotic my step-father was. I know how family situations can become so bad, so horrible, so out of control. When I saw how distraught you were over your family situation, I couldn't help but not get involved. I wanted to–"

"You wanted to help me out," Tea finished. "You wanted to make sure I didn't get hurt." All Seto could do was take another sip of his wine and nod his head, looking away. The fact that his guard was down was scaring him. He wanted that wall to come back up, to protect him from this girl. He wanted that security that came with her not knowing anything about him. Yet that wall had vanished, replaced with his mouth rambling on about how he actually cared for her safety. Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked over to see her smiling at him.

"Thank you for everything," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You have helped me so much, in school, in life, in...everything. You've allowed me to start out new. I don't know where I would be if you hadn't helped me out. Thank you." And then, without warning, she stood up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her head resting beside his.

Seto's breathing stopped. Was she...hugging him? Slowly his arms wrapped around her, and he swallowed the lump caught in his throat. "Like I said...it's nothing." The two held onto each other, showing no signs of letting go, while Seto tried to control his breathing. He had given Mokuba hugs before, but that was something brothers did. This...was different. Alien. And even though it almost scared him, it felt somehow right all the same.

"Oh, shoot!" she suddenly exclaimed, quickly letting go of him and running into the kitchen. Thinking he did something wrong, Seto watched her disappear into the kitchen only to come back with a metal plate in her hands. "Forgot about the steaks!" she exclaimed. Letting out an unknown sigh, Seto smiled at her and took one of the steaks before pouring himself some wine.


	22. Targeted

**Chapter 22 - Targeted**

Seto was walking around the library before finding the empty spot and placing the Perfume novel back in its place. It never took him long to finish books, especially ones he had already read, and he almost memorized where all the books were kept. He tried to keep it as alphabetical as possible, but Mokuba generally just threw the books into an empty space. 

Picking out another book, he quickly took it out and stared at it before a small smile crept up on his face. Tea would be coming over in about a half hour, giving him some time to do work for the company. They were finishing their projects today and handing them in tomorrow, meaning that the work would be done. But, unlike he originally thought, he realized he would actually miss her coming over. He had grown fond of her visits, and with no project due, there was no reason for her to come over.

"_Why did you have to break that wall?_" he thought to himself as he leaned against the bookshelf. "_Why? I knew this project would only last so long, and what did I do? I began enjoying her company! God, how did I come to enjoy the cheerleader's visits?_" Putting his head in his hand, he thought, "_Now I'm fucken stuck. I don't want her to stop visiting, but with no reason to come over... Couldn't I just ask her? No, she probably wouldn't want to anyway._"

No matter how hard he tried to forget it, the tiny speech she had given him pierced him to the core. "_Why did she thank me for so much? How did she penetrate my wall - the wall that I built! - with a simple thank you! It makes no sense! But did she really mean it? If she did, it wouldn't be that difficult to persuade her to come over again. But...if she didn't..._" Closing his eyes, Seto let his hand fall and let out a long, defeated sigh. "_She probably didn't. She probably just said that thinking it would make me feel better about the situation. Why would she care about me? It's not like I've treated her well in the past. How could a week or so of good behavior make up for at least a year of rudeness? It can't. Which is why...there's just no use thinking about it. Once this project is done, she'll be gone._" 

He never thought he would be so depressed over this situation, but he couldn't deny the slight ache in his heart. Maybe he was gaining feelings for the girl, maybe not. Maybe she truly cared about him, maybe she still secretly wished he was dead. He didn't know, and if there was anything he hated most, it was not knowing everything about a situation. He shook his head and went to push himself off the bookshelf when a sudden force drove him back. 

Seto went to yell when he realized one hand was around his neck, the other covering his mouth. Looking at his new attacker, Seto's eyes went wide in shock. The being before him had grey skin with piercing blue eyes that looked as though they were ready to cut him in half. It had short silver hair and was wearing a dark blue robe. "What have you done to him?" the demon asked in a calm but menacing voice. 

All Seto could do was stare at the thing. "_What...is this...is this another demon!_" he thought. 

"I said, what did you do to him?" the demon asked again. When Seto pointed to his mouth, the demon let go his neck and mouth. He fell to the ground and took in a few short breaths before looking up at the creature.

"Are...are you also a demon?" Seto asked, backing up into the bookshelf.

"Yes. And since you said 'also,' I assume you know of Abraxas's whereabouts."

"Abraxas?" "_How does this demon know about Abraxas?_"

"You know of whom I speak!" the demon shouted, lifting Seto up again and pinning him to a nearby wall. Seto grabbed the demon's hands, but he watched in horror as the demon's hand retracted, replaced by a yellow ring holding him up against the wall. "The sooner you answer my questions, the sooner you can get down."

Seto coughed as he tried to control this breathing. This demon was nothing like Abraxas. He remembered Abraxas saying how he knew very little traits, which meant that he wasn't very powerful. However... "_This guy obviously knows something about magic or what-not,_" Seto thought as he tried to break the ring around his neck. "_Goddammit, Abraxas! Why did you have to go around Domino now!_"

"Now, how do you know Abraxas?" the demon asked as it paced in front of Seto.

"He...He follows me around," Seto asked, watching the demon walk around. 

"Why?" 

"Him and I made a bond. He said that he'll follow me until I die and then receive my afterlife. We made a deal."

"And why did you make such a deal?"

"That's not your business," Seto replied. He didn't like saying no to a demon, but if this demon found out he had a little brother, it could go after Mokuba instead. And that...that he wouldn't allow.

"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter," the demon replied as it stopped and held out its hand. Seto gasped as he felt the ring become tighter around his neck. "Now, why did you make the deal?"

"He...He said he could help me out. He said that if...if he took out the Rela Veli in me, then I'd be granted life. However, he wanted my afterlife for himself, which was my end of the bargain. I got my life, and he got my afterlife." It was a lie to be sure, but the demon seemed to buy it, for he began pacing again. 

"So...the Rela Veli affected you?"

"Yeah." 

"And you traded your afterlife for a real life?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

The demon chuckled and shook its head. "Did he offer this deal at first, or was it a last minute resort?"

"He said he was going to kill me at first, but I asked if there was some way I could live. That's how he decided on the deal."

"And so now he follows you? Well, if that's the case, where is he?"

"He left awhile ago. He enjoys seeing the town. Now that he's stuck to me, nobody else can see him." Seto gripped the ring again, hoping against hope it would release. The lack of oxygen was making him dizzy, plus the ring felt like burning metal against his skin.

"He enjoys seeing the town? That's preposterous! No demon would ever walk amongst humans! You creatures are nothing more than mere insects! You know nothing about anything at all! It's pathetic!"

Seto could only stare at the demon in wonder. Abraxas's situation was suddenly sinking in; his obsession with the human realm must be considered ridiculous to the other demons. "..._Which was why he made that deal with me. It was a forceful way of entering the human realm._"

"Do you know why he's here? Has he mentioned anything to you about us?"

"He's told me a little about Amalgam and some demons, but nothing very detailed."

"Demons? What demons did he mention?"

"Uh, twins. He said he was friends with some twins."

"Anything else? Reasons why he came here, that sort of thing?" Shaking his head no, Seto closed his eyes and gripped the ring again. It wouldn't budge. He had to get out of this contraption, though. His world was beginning to spin. "Well, be sure to tell him this." The demon walked up to Seto and grabbed his throat once more. "You tell him Satr said hello." And with that, the demon vanished along with the ring holding him up.

Seto fell to the ground and began to violently cough. His world was spinning, much like the night Abraxas first found him. Feeling his neck for any burns, he found none. Yet the shortness of breath made him collapse on the floor, and he was soon out cold, the feeling of the ring on his neck still there. 


	23. Aftermath

**Chapter 23 - Aftermath**

"...Kaiba, are you there...?" _It was a soft voice, very far away. A girl's voice. It sounded familiar too. _"Come on, Kaiba... Why have you been out for so long?" _How long was so long? _"Kaiba...Kaiba...Seto Kaiba!"

Hearing the voice scream inside his head, Seto bolted upright in bed and began to violently cough. It felt like this throat and head were on fire. "Oh my God, Kaiba!" the girl's voice shouted. He felt a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but the coughing wouldn't cease. He couldn't control his breathing. 

"Kaiba, calm down!" the girl exclaimed. "You have to calm down!"

"_You think I'm not trying!_" he screamed inside his head. His stomach suddenly did a spin, and running into the bathroom, he puked what up what little was in him into the toilet. He then began to cough again, only this time he was beginning to control it. 

Feeling two hands on his shoulders, he looked up to see Tea staring down at him, concern written all across her face. He slowly stood up, flushed the toilet and washed his face off, the coughs beginning to cease. He then leaned against the bathroom wall and closed his eyes, the last of the coughs surfacing out of his mouth. It felt like his entire throat was being cut off. He felt himself sliding down when two hands grabbed his shoulders. 

"Kaiba, what's wrong?" Tea asked. "Please, stay awake! Just tell me what's wrong. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw her sitting in front of him, her hands on his shoulders, and tears threatening to surface. He coughed again before saying, "Please...just get me...a wet...cloth or something..." She let go of him, letting him slide to the floor, and he closed his eyes again before feeling a wet cloth placed in his hand. He lifted it up to his forehead and sighed at the sudden coldness. He was now shaking, but the coughing fit had ceased.

"Kaiba...what happened?" she asked as she sat next to him. He could feel her moving him around but didn't care. When he next opened his eyes, he was staring up at her, and he realized his head was in her lap. "I found you unconscious in the library. What happened to make you pass out?"

Seto closed his eyes and tried to remember the event. The demon... the demon had visited him. Used that ring on him. "_But then why does it feel worse than when I had the ring on? What did that thing do to me?_"

"Kaiba, stay awake!" she instructed, placing a hand on his cheek. "Please stay awake. If you don't, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No...no hospital," he said, his voice coming out slowly. His breathing was slightly labored, and he could feel the coldness seeping into his system from the wet cloth. It suddenly felt like he had a fever. "I...I'll be fine. Just let me...rest a minute."

He did his best to calm himself down, to gain back control of his body. He could only imagine that these symptoms were the aftermath of that ring, but what exactly was that ring that held him up? What had that demon used again him? And why? Didn't the demon ever hear of asking? "_But wait...didn't the demon ridicule Abraxas about staying with the humans? He most likely didn't think of my death as a problem then. It didn't matter how he got the information, as long as he got it. And dammit...he sure got it._"

Feeling a hand on his forehead, he opened his eyes to see a blurry vision of Tea smiling down at him. He felt her hand move a few bangs out of his face before moving down to caress his cheek. "I was worried I'd have to take you to the hospital," she whispered to him. "When I found you, you looked as though you had a heart attack. You weren't breathing very well, and you looked like all the blood had been drained from your system you were so pale. I brought you up to your room and tried waking you up... I guess it worked."

"How...how long have I been out?" he asked, eyeing her hand that was still caressing his cheek before staring back up at her.

"I'm not sure. I came about fifteen minutes ago, but I don't know how long you were out before then."

"I...I see." He then closed his eyes again, feeling her hand against his cheek. The burning sensation was gone in his neck, and with it came the normal pace of breathing. He knew he'd be all right soon, but he decided to stay in her lap awhile longer. 

"So what happened that made you pass out?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Seto opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "I...I guess I was just tired." His mind wasn't working. He could've...no, should've...come up with a better excuse than that.

"Exhaustion doesn't make one wake up coughing and puking," Tea countered. Chuckling, she said, "Believe me. I know."

Seto chuckled and said, "Maybe I'm just getting sick."

"I take it you don't want to work on the project, then?"

"The project...?" "_Shit! That's the whole reason she came over! We have to finish that thing!_" Seto bolted upright again, yet the change in vision made him dizzy again, and he pressed his hand against the wall for support.

"Hey, don't push yourself," she stated. "It's no big deal. We have most of it done; I'm sure she'll excuse some of it on sickness."

"No...we can finish it now," he replied, slowly pushing himself up until he was standing. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't." Tea stood in front of him and stared at him. "We can finish it tomorrow. I'm sure we won't get many points off if it's a day late."

"But...don't you need the good grade?" he asked, smiling at the fact that his vision was beginning to clear.

"Yes, but your health comes before my grade."

Seto chuckled and closed his eyes. "That shouldn't be the case."

"Why not?"

"Because..." "_Because I don't want to be responsible for you having a bad grade. I don't want to be the reason you fail this course. Because I shouldn't be that important to you anyway._" Feeling himself beginning to fall again, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. 

"Come on," she said in a calm voice. He felt her lift his arm up and place it across her shoulders. She then began walking toward the bedroom, and he followed her, leaning on her for support, until they reached the bed. He slowly sat down on the edge and smirked. 

"If you can bring me my backpack, we can work on it," he said to her. She smiled at him and brought it over, carrying her backpack as well.

"But promise me this," she began as he looked through his things. He glanced up to see her eyes filled with worry. "Once we get this done, you lay down and rest."

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head and smiled up at her. "Fine." 


	24. The Search Begins

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is a warning that production on this fanfiction may become slower because I've started my own website and am now busy updating it. It has new stories posted on it along with forums and links for visitors.Send me a message if you would like to visit the site! Thanks for all the support thus far! You guys have really inspired me: )

**Chapter 24 - The Search Begins**

Seto slowly opened his eyes to see the moonlight outside shining into the room. He pushed himself up and looked around before putting a hand up to his head. He had a large headache and felt extremely weak. "_Dammit, hasn't that ring trick worn off yet?_" Seto thought as he leaned against the headrest, pulling a knee up to his chest. "_God, how am I going to function tomorrow if I can't even get out of bed? I'm behind in work now since I went to bed early, which means I'll be staying up later than usual tomorrow. How do I get myself involved in these situations? Speaking of which..._"

Seto quickly looked up to see an eye staring back at him, a smirk on the creature's face. "Glad to see you're finally awake," Abraxas joked, backing up to sit on the bed. "What the hell happened to you? I came home to see you sleeping. You have fyqam in you; what happened?"

"I have what in me?" 

"'Demon.' Short for demon essence." At this, Abaraxas leaned forward, his face stern. "How did you get demon in your aura?"

"What are you talking about?"

"With myself being a demon, I can see demon essence in action. You had a ring around your neck; what happened that caused it? Were you attacked?"

Seto slowly nodded his head before glaring at him. "No thanks to you..." he mumbled.

"I did not attack you."

"No, but somebody who knew you did." Seto coughed suddenly and tried to gain his breath. "_Shit...not again..._"

Feeling something thrust into his hand, Seto looked down to see a purple bottle. "Drink," the demon demanded. "Now." Slowly lifting the bottle to his lips, Seto drank the mixture in the bottle as best he could. It tasted sour, and it was poorly mixed, for he could feel the different ingredients going down. It felt like he was drinking water with dirt mixed in. Finishing the bottle, he sighed when he felt his neck suddenly turn cold. Grabbing his neck, he took in a large gulp of air and was surprised to actually receive it.

"No need to thank me," Abraxas stated, leaning back slightly. "That got the demon out of your system. Now answer me. How did that ring get around your neck?"

"_So that ring never left,_" Seto thought, ignoring the demon's questions. "_It was there along. That would explain why I passed out and why it hurt so much when I woke up. That demon didn't destroy it; he merely concealed it. How could I not feel it, though? It burned like_-"

"Answer me!" the demon suddenly shouted, grabbing Seto's wrist and pulling him in closer. "Why was that ring around your neck?"

Seto stared in awe at Abraxas. He saw confusion and rage in that eye, along with a mixture of what looked like fear. "A...a demon came and attacked me," Seto explained. "He was looking for you. He hooked me to the wall with that...ring, I guess it's called...and interrogated me. When he left, I passed out and woke up to a coughing fit. It took awhile to calm down, but I finally got it under control. I then went back to bed."

"What demon attacked? Did he mention a name?"

"Yeah... Satr, I think it was."

"Satr?" Abraxas repeated, staring in shock at Seto before looking down at the bed and letting his arm go. "Satr...Gtud ol naomn am?" 

Taking his arm back, Seto sat in a comfortable position before saying, "You obviously know him."

"Of course I know him! He's a good friend of mine. One of the twins I mentioned to you earlier. But what did he ask you? Did he say why he was here?"

"He just asked me why you were here and what you were doing. He didn't say anything about a purpose; he just started asking me questions after trapping me."

"You're lucky you're intelligent. If you would have resisted, the ring would have choked you to death." 

"Good to know now," Seto replied sarcastically.

"What did you say to him?"

"I...I lied to him. I told him I was the one infected with the Rela Veli so that he wouldn't touch Mokuba. He bought it and asked me what you were doing. He seemed amazed over the fact that you were following me. At the time, you were flying around Domino, and when I told him that, he simply laughed at me."

"Of course he did. They don't understand why I care about the human realm at all. But back to the matter at hand. Did he ask anything else?"

"No...not that I can remember, anyway."

"I'm terribly sorry about that. You're probably being targeted even as we speak by other demons, though. This means that they're looking for me."

"And why would they look for you? Aren't you the black sheep? You said so yourself!"

"Of course I am, but it goes back to the basic principal of no publicity. If they found out I was wondering about aimlessly, they'd have caught me and thrown me away, probably to torture me. They found you because they sensed your connection to me. Although I'm sure it surprised him to find out the two of us are bonded."

Seto sighed and leaned back. "Why do I have to be targeted?"

"You're the one who signed up for this, just remember that," Abraxas reminded. 

"But you never mentioned a single thing about being targeted! What about Mokuba? What about me? What about–" Quickly cutting himself, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"What about the girl?" Abraxas finished, laughing at the question. "They have no connection to me, at least not yet. The moment that ring goes on their finger is the moment the connection is made. But no, they will not be targeted until that occurs." The demon chuckled again before saying, "Glad to know you don't want to get involved with her, by the way."

Seto simply sighed and laid down. He felt a hand on his forehead and opened his eyes to see Abraxas staring down at him. "Here, I'll let you rest." Seeing a white aura suddenly appear around the demon's hand, Seto felt sleep immediately come to him. 

* * *

Gtud ol naomn am? - What is going on? 


	25. Stress

**Chapter 25 - Stress**

It had been several days since Seto had talked to Abraxas about the attack. No new demons had reappeared since then, yet Abraxas told him to be on his guard. The demons didn't understand time, and he promised Seto he would watch the boy's back at night. Seto didn't like trusting the demon's word at this point, but so far no incidents had occurred. Everything was going as it normally would...

...which was why Seto was now entering his studio. He could see outside the line of windows along the wall to his backyard, which was full of grass and flowers. It was raining outside, the water pelting down on the wildlife. The walls were white; the floor was a beige wood. There were several bookshelves lining the walls (all his books), a little work-out area in the corner, and his destination along the far wall. He walked across the room and sat down in the chair in front of the keyboard. He was stressed. Stressed out beyond belief. These past few days had kept him on edge, and his emotions were literally on a roller coaster to Hell. He never would have imagined himself in this position now, because it wasn't the demons targeting him that upset him so. No, it was something on this realm. Something close to home.

"_And that something is that fucken cheerleader,_" he thought miserably, pulling out a few sheets of music and setting them up. "_She left. She's living on her own now. She comes by to tutor Mokuba while I'm at work, so we don't see each other. That's what I wanted. I set it up. And now..._" Setting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "_No. I got connected to her. Somehow or other, I made a connection with that girl, and now I can't get her out of my head. Dammit! Why did I do that to myself?! I knew she was leaving! I knew this wouldn't work out! Why did I let my guard down with her? Why did I let her in?!_"

Groaning in frustration, Seto quickly shook his head once more and placed his hands on the keyboard. "Just play some music," he thought aloud, letting out a long sigh. "Stop thinking about her. Think about the music."

He slowly began moving his fingers over the keys, reading the music he had picked out in front of him. His movements were clean, almost as if he was typing on his laptop. It was soft, melodic music...soothing to him. Because that's what he needed right now. Some soothing, quiet, peaceful time. Time that was rarely given to him was what he needed most.

"_How did she do it...?_" he thought after a couple of minutes passed, his fingers still going on the keyboard. "_I set that wall up to protect myself from people like her. I never wanted friends, let along to fall for somebody. I never needed it. Yet, in the matter of a few weeks, this girl shattered that wall. Now I can't stop thinking about her, worrying about her...caring about her. I didn't want this. I shouldn't have done this. It's all because of that fucken project! If it wasn't for that..._"

Seto shook his head no, finishing the song and picking out another. This one was a bit faster than the previous one but still soft. "_No, I can't blame the project. I told her everything I wanted her to know about me. I let my guard down somehow and showed her a part of me I didn't want anyone to see. That's my fault, and now I'm dealing with the consequences of it. If I'm going to deal with this properly, I need to come to terms with it. And the truth is that I wanted her to learn about me. I wanted her to penetrate that wall. If I didn't do it consciously, my subconscious was somehow doing it. She didn't purposely come after me to break down my wall. It just happened. Now I know enough about her and vice versa so that we care about one another-_"

Hitting a wrong key brought Seto out of his trance. "_Care about each other? Does she even care about me? She helped me when that demon attacked me...she seemed to care enough then. There's no denying that I care about her. I risked my health just to get her to pass a stupid class. But does she even care about me? Or did she use me, just like everyone else in my life, just to get a good apartment and a job? She seems genuine enough, but it's so random. There are so many variables involved in this...it hurts my head just thinking about it!_"

Slamming a fist on his keyboard, Seto heard the cacophony erupt from the speakers and sighed. "_This isn't working. This was supposed to stop you from thinking about her, not make things worse!_" Letting out one more sigh just to calm him down, he quickly switched the pieces of music once more to another soothing song. Placing his hands on the keyboard, he quickly began to play the music, almost by memory.

He could feel the music begin entering his soul, making him relax like he originally planned. The sound of the piano mixed with the raining outside was calming him down greatly. He needed this badly. It was moments like this that made his life worth living. Mokuba was some_body_ to live for; these moments were some_thing_ to live for. He closed his eyes for a second, taking in the sounds of his music mixed in with the rain outside and the silence that stood around him. Abraxas was in the library, which left him alone to deal with this.

Opening his eyes back up, he continued to read the music, his problems slowly drifting away. He could feel a small smile creeping up on his face and chose to let it go. The music made him feel lighter, and he wished this feeling could last. No problems to deal with, no emotional boundaries to keep in check. No, this was what he enjoyed. This tranquility that only something like this moment could bring him.

Finishing the piece, he smiled to himself and went to turn the keyboard off when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Quickly looking up in shock, he saw Tea smiling down at him, her eyes showing a hint of awe and wonder in them. "That was beautiful," she said after a moment of awkward silence. "Where did you learn to play keyboard?"

"I taught myself," he answered, brushing her hand off his shoulder. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be tutoring Mokuba?"

"We're finished for the day," she explained. "I heard the music and was wondering where it came from."

"So you thought you could just walk in and see, huh?" She nodded her head, and he chuckled. "It's okay. I was just finishing up."

"Oh, you aren't going to keep playing?" Seto looked over at her quizzical.

"You _want _me to keep playing?" he asked, watching her sit down in a nearby chair. She smiled brightly and nodded her head once more.

"Yeah. You play beautiful pieces of music, whether you know it or not. It's very soothing."

"Oh, I know it," he answered, smiling at his comment. Looking at the clock, he saw it was nearly dinnertime. "How about this? You stay for dinner, and I'll play you a couple of pieces on the keyboard."

"Okay," she stated. "What are you having?"

"Not sure yet. I'm sure the maid's making something good, though." Putting his music away, Seto stood up and watched Tea follow suit. She was staring at him in wonder, making him worry that something was wrong. "What?" he finally asked.

"That music..." she replied. "It was so pretty...I could never have imagined you playing it before." She looked up at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "You seem stressed out."

"Yeah...maybe," he answered, turning around and heading out of the room. He stopped, however, when she stepped in front of him.

"You played that music to comfort you, didn't you?" The question had been so blunt that Seto jerked back slightly.

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

"No, but..." She let out a sigh. "I...It's nothing."

"You just never pictured me dealing with my stress like that," he stated. She smiled slightly and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him. It was awkward, and Seto felt his breath stop for a second before he wrapped his arms around her.

"I never pictured you being like this, Kaiba," she replied after awhile. "I'm sorry about the comments I made to you when we first started that project."

"It's nothing," he said, closing his eyes and feeling her body against his. "I don't know anything about you, and you don't know anything about me. I understand that. Don't take it too personally that you're learning about me, alright?"

"Alright." Seto smiled at this, and even though there was no music, he felt suddenly a bit lighter than before.


	26. Another Attack

**Chapter 26 - Another Attack**

The sunlight was shining brightly through the windows into the office, lighting the room up without the use of electricity. Abraxas was sitting on one of the couches, watching the six o' clock news intently. Seto was paying attention to anything but the news. He was working on his project, getting his mind off both the demons and Tea.

Looking up at Abraxas, he smirked before returning to his work. "_I'll never understand him,_" he thought, shaking his head slightly. "_He watches humans like we're toys. But if what that demon said was true, that's not supposed to be the case. He acted like I was inferior to him, yet Abraxas never really treated me in that fashion. He's witty and cynical, yes, but not extremely rude. Why did he force his way into the human realm? Obviously his goal wasn't just to take Mokuba's soul. That much I can gather from this. No, he was planning something more...Did he plan on me trading anything for Mokuba's life? Or was that just an added bonus? There's something missing here..._"

"What's wrong?" Abraxas suddenly asked, making Seto look up. "You seem angry at something. Did another employee screw up?"

"I'm not angry," he replied.

"Then why did you stop typing just now? You only stop when there's a problem."

"Why are watching my movements that closely?" Seto countered, smirking slightly. If he could get some information, it could work to his advantage.

The demon shrugged and said, "It's easy. Usually when you stop, you'll call someone and yell at them or curse at the computer. So what's wrong?"

"Yeah, but why watch my movements _that _closely?" Seto repeated, leaning forward slightly in his chair. "I thought you were just waiting around for my death. Why take notes on my behavior if you're just waiting for my soul."

"What, you expect me to sit around and wait all this time?" Abraxas questioned. "I'm watching you for your entire life. You wouldn't think I'd just sit around, did you? Besides, I don't have to pay close attention to those kind of details. You're easy to read."

Seto growled slightly, knowing the conversation had just ended. He couldn't come up with a good comeback for that. Well, he could, but he didn't feel like wasting the energy on it. "_I guess I'll just wait until he comes clean..._" Seto thought.

"What is this?" Abraxas suddenly asked, pointing at the television screen. Seto stood up and leaned against the back of the couch to get a closer look at what he was pointing at.

"What do you mean?"

"What is this?" Abraxas repeated.

Seto looked up at what Abraxas was talking about. They were showing a video game, what looked like a violent one. "A video game commercial," Seto stated.

"Video games? What, you don't have enough electronics in your life?"

"Video games are games you play on televisions on computers," Seto explained. "They just let you go into another world and play as a certain character."

"Do you have any of these?"

"Yeah. Mokuba plays them all the time."

"May I try them sometime?"

Seto nodded his head and smirked, the image of this demon getting addicted to video games a humorous image in his mind. He pushed himself off the couch and went to leave when a sudden force drove him down to the ground. Hitting his head hard on the marble flooring, Seto's world went black for a split second before he saw a pair of blue eyes were staring down at him.

"Satr!" he heard Abraxas shout. The demon was once again covering Seto's mouth, this time sitting on him rather than ramming him into the wall.

"Gtud ujy pae faomn, tequm?" the demon shouted at Seto. Seto tried to breath, but the demon's mouth prevented him from doing this. He went to punch the demon's face, but the demon caught his hand and thrust it back onto the floor.

"Satr, get off him!" Abraxas exclaimed. Seto felt the creature be thrown off him and took in a huge gulp of air before quickly standing up.

"How dare you throw me, Abraxas!" the demon hissed. Seto took a step back and was shocked to see Abraxas stand in front of him, almost as if protecting him. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I should ask you the same!" Abraxas replied back. "Why attack the human who is bonded to me? From what I'm to understand, you already attacked him once! Why?"

"Because he's the reason you're not in Amalgam this very moment!" Satr stated. "The demon wars are arriving! Brenjin has already confirmed it. We need you now more than ever! If it wasn't for this human–"

"This human is bonded to me, Satr," Abraxas interrupted, his voice cool and calm. "I'm stuck to him now until his death. You understand those rules well enough. So why attack him?"

"You said so yourself. If he dies, then your bond is complete."

This statement startled Seto. "_No wonder he was so ready to attack me,_" he thought. "_He knows the rules just as much as Abraxas does...and he also knows how they can be broken._"

"You will not harm this human," Abraxas warned. "He's done nothing wrong to you. I made the agreement with him; indeed, the blame should fall squarely upon my shoulders. Do not attack the boy again!"

The demon Satr stared in awe at Abraxas before letting out a small chuckle. "You haven't changed, Abraxas," he finally said. "I figured your flight to the human realm would have rid you of the corruption in your soul. You know this realm will be damaged, along with all the others, when the wars begin. But it seems as though your obsession has only grown." Pointing his finger at Abraxas he said, "You know the consequences of your actions. When the wars begin, there will be no protection for you. You will be a loner, and if you are hunted, we will not defend you."

"You would not have defended me anyway, Satr," Abraxas argued. "I'm the black sheep, _remember_? It was you who told Brenjin in the first place my obsession. Yes, you are a dear friend, but I remember all too well what you did. I'm doing this for the good of the demon realms. If you have no interest in the human realm, fine, but leave me and the boy, along with all those with connections to the boy, alone."

The demon looked hard at Abraxas before staring at Seto. "You're lucky to have him on your side," he finally stated, his voice thick and icy. "If it were up to me, your guts would be feeding the maggots of my realm right now. And Abraxas," he added, looking over at his friend. "You've hurt me by staying here. I thought better of you. My sister will know of this decision, along with all the other demons. Just remember what I said. The wars will be coming, and you won't be protected. Neither will the boy, for that matter!" And with that, the demon quickly vanished, leaving no trace of his existence behind.

Seto could only look in awe at Abraxas. The demon turned around, and Seto saw fear in the demon's eye. "There, you're safe," he finally said. "They wouldn't dare harm you now."

Looking up at the demon in awe, Seto could only nod his head slightly and mumble a small thanks.

* * *

Gtud ujy pae faomn, tequm? - What are you doing, human?


	27. Obsession

**Chapter 27 - Obsession**

Seto just looked at Abraxas, not knowing what to say. He was sitting cris-crossed on his bed, watching the demon pace back and forth across the room. The moon was shining in, and Seto could see the silver ring glowing in his hand from the moonlight. Finally, he asked, "So...what did that demon mean?" Abraxas, however, completely ignored him and continued pacing about the room, mumbling things in his demon language. Seto sighed and repeated the question, this time getting the demon's attention.

Abraxas stopped and looked over at Seto, worry and concern written all over his face. "He meant that the wars have begun...the demon wars," Abraxas whispered. "He meant that this realm, along with all the others, are about to be turned upside-down."

"But what about that Brenjin character he mentioned? Who is he?"

"Brenjin is the leader of Amalgam," Abraxas explained. "He will be so busy preparing for this war that he'll have no time to protect me. I knew there would be stakes coming here, but if I had known that the wars were beginning soon..." He soon went back to pacing, worrying Seto.

The demon before him was completely different than the usual one. This Abraxas was scared, worried, not cool and collective like normal. It made Seto edgy. This demon was supposed to be in charge of things in his realm, not dragging them into Seto's life. Now, it seemed, Seto was in the middle of this demon realm war, a war that he didn't even fully comprehend!

After a couple of minutes, Seto growled and stood up, placing his hands on the demon's shoulders. "Stop pacing around like a fool!" he commanded. "I didn't sign up for this bullshit, alright? From what your friend, or whoever that demon was, said, there's a war going on. You never mentioned to me a war until after our deal. Now I'm stuck in the middle! What did he mean, I'm in danger? What did he mean by 'no protection'? What the hell is going on?! Answer me, damn you!"

It took a moment for Seto to calm down before letting his hands fall and walking away. The demon just stared in awe at him, and Seto felt a slightly blush creep up. "Sorry," he finally muttered, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "I'm just...not prepared for this."

"No," Abraxas quickly stated, walking in front of Seto. "You have every right to know what's going on. This is my fault entirely. I shouldn't be fretting like this."

Seto looked up at the demon, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, he asked, "So...will you answer my questions?"

Slowly nodding his head, Abraxas walked over to the nearby recliner and closed his eye. He sighed before saying, "I made the deal with you to understand you humans more. I've always been intrigued by the human realm, yet my studies have either proved futile or just worthless. The demon you saw, Satr, was my friend at the time. A very good friend. This was about a century ago, I believe. It doesn't matter. When he found out about my...obsession, I guess you could call it...with the human realm, he immediately told Brenjin about the ordeal. Brenjin was furious at me; how dare I give up my practices to study the mere humans squandering their planet? He stripped me of my duties and banished me for several decades before I was allowed to return to Amalgam."

"By then, Satr and Sliva, his sister, welcomed me back with open arms and apologized for the incident. I was furious at first, but later learned to just let it go. They continued keeping me company and looked out for me. Brenjin never forgave me but told me I could continue my 'useless' research on the human realms unless I started causing problems. I could only watch from a small portal, so there was little information available. I never relearned my trade, which equally upset him, but I didn't care."

"Over time, I learned more and more about the human realms. That's when the news came up; news about a demon realm war. Relint and Salism proclaimed war on one another, and now it seems the war has reached Amalgam. It is a holy land, and the demons living there will die defending it for sure. But then I began to wonder...what about the human realm? Will they be affected by us? They have in the past. What would stop it from occurring now?"

Looking up at Seto, Abraxas continued. "So I dedicated my research to studying ways that the demon realm affected the human realm. I've been doing so for decades, and I began to question the actual coming of the wars. I figured that if they hadn't happened yet by now, they weren't every approaching us. But it seems I was wrong...and now we're in big trouble."

"_We're_ in trouble?" Seto questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"Yes. Because now they're attacking you. I didn't want that to ever happen. I made the deal with you because I wanted to study you. I wanted to learn more about the human realm. I had had it with my realm; I needed something new. But now...now they're hunting us both down because of our connections to the demon realm." He let out a sigh before concluding, "I don't know how this will affect the human realm, but I do know this. They'll find everything even _remotely _related to the demon realm in this realm and either destroy it or capture it. No publicity...remember?"

Seto just sat there numb. He never would've imagined this to be the demon's story, let alone being so affected by it. He now understood what was going on. He was being targeted, just like Abraxas. Satr was probably sent to kill him because of the deal he made with the demon. It was all sinking in, and it made Seto numb and cold.

"I'm so sorry," Abraxas whispered after a long pause. "I never meant for this to happen. I understand you have a life to live. I just wanted some information, and now look at what has become of it all. But don't worry. I don't care if I have protection or not. I will not let them even _touch _you. You humans are so...interesting. I won't let them hunt you down, not with how far I've come along."

Seto nodded his head in understanding and lied down on the bed. "What...will happen...if they find me again?" Seto asked.

"I'm not sure. I highly doubt they would kill you. You have valuable information."

"Which is...?"

"What I've been doing since my arrival in this realm. No, most likely they would kidnap you. But I promise, I won't let that happen."

"You better," Seto replied, trying to be cold, yet it came out almost timidly. Crawling up onto the bed, Seto merely closed his eyes. "Thanks for the explanation," he said. Looking once more over at Abraxas, he saw the demon just staring at the floor. He then closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.


	28. Confessions

**Chapter 28 - Confessions**

Seto sat down on the nearby couch, letting the sunlight pour in through the windows and warm him up. Tea soon walked in carrying two glasses filled with white wine and set the one down on the glass coffee table in front of him. She then sat down beside him and took a sip of her wine. Seto picked his glass up and took a large gulp.

"That bad of a day?" Tea joked as she watched him drink the liquid.

"You could say," he answered, setting the glass back down and leaning forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. Abraxas's message from the previous night was still sinking in, making the day go by extremely slowly, and work never seemed to let up. He was exhausted at this point, and coming over to Tea's apartment seemed like a good idea when she called asking him about it. Just to get away from his problems for an hour or two was worth anything at this point.

"So how is KaibaCorp going?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence between the two.

"Okay, I guess," he answered. "Just the usual crap that always happens. Fixing problems in data, writing reports...that sort of thing." He smirked and looked over at her. "Boring, I know."

She chuckled and took another sip of her wine. "I have to give you credit for keeping that place up," she said. "Most teenagers drive their parents' companies into the ground once they take over, yet you seem to handle it extremely well."

"I was trained," he replied casually. "I was just taught how to manage a business, is all. It's not that difficult; you just don't waste all the money and invest properly."

"Yeah, but most teenagers don't know how to do that either," Tea countered. Seto smirked and nodded his head in agreement.

"So how have you been making out?" he suddenly asked. Her confused glance made him quickly add, "With work, I mean. Is your mother hunting you down anymore, or is she leaving you alone?"

"Nah, she's out of my life for good," Tea answered, smiling over at him and finishing her glass of wine. "You want some more?"

"Yes please," he replied, handing her the glass and watching her go back into the kitchen.

"She hasn't called me ever since," Tea continued, her voice louder than normal so that Seto could hear her. "And I like it that way. Been saving up my money just in case something comes up. All in all, I think I've been doing pretty well." She came back out with the two glasses refilled and smirked. "No thanks to you," she added, setting his glass down on the table. He frowned at her and looked back at the glass.

"I didn't get your life back on track," he stated. "You did that on your own. You should be proud that you made it to this point. Don't say it was me who did this for you."

"You know, for being such an arrogant asshole at times, you really are modest about some things," she blurted out, making Seto choke on the wine he was drinking. He set the glass down and gave her a confused look.

"And what does that mean?" he asked.

"It means that, if it weren't for you, I would not have been able to get an apartment. I wouldn't have a decent paying job. I wouldn't have anything that's in this room right now. Hell, I wouldn't even have this room! I'd still be bumming off of somebody for a place to stay. If it weren't for you, I simply wouldn't be here today. And now you're telling me that you didn't help whatsoever? Please, Kaiba–"

"Call me Seto from now on," he interrupted, shocked that he just had said that.

"What?"

"Call me Seto." It was almost a whisper this time around.

"Oh, uh...well, Seto then..." Tea quickly took a sip of her wine before smiling over at him. "If it hadn't been for you, Seto, I couldn't have done this. I would've probably committed suicide by now if you hadn't helped me out. Just...thanks a lot for everything."

Seto merely sipped the wine, listening to her words. If he meant this much to her, that she would... "Wait, why would you commit suicide?"

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "I thought you were intelligent! Wouldn't getting kicked out of your family make you depressed?"

Seto slowly nodded his head and stared down at his wine. "Yeah..." he finally whispered. "It would."

He heard a small gasp escape her and looked over to see Tea's face, a hint of shock showing in her eyes. "You used to drink a lot, didn't you?" she asked quietly, almost as if she was afraid somebody would overhear her. "You said you weren't an alcoholic, but you obviously like _some _alcohol. When were you depressed?"

Seto chuckled at the question. "How about when am I _not _depressed?" he countered, smiling slightly over at her. "You're right; I didn't cut myself or anything, but I was depressed for a long time. Still am, in some cases. I knew that my step-father had a wine cellar in the basement, so I used to always steal the keys and get a bottle or two. I wouldn't drink it all in one sitting, but I did become a bit addicted to it."

"And why did you stop?"

"Once I took over, I knew that drinking would be bad for publicity, bad for me, and it would worry Mokuba to death. I decided that cutting back on the drinking had a lot more ups than downs. So I quit for about a month before letting myself have it every so often."

"Talk about being responsible," she mumbled.

"Yeah, well...when I was taking care of Mokuba and a company, some things came before myself."

He looked over at her, and her expression was sad yet understanding. "When did you take over the company?" she asked.

"About two years ago."

"And how long were you with your step-father?"

At this, Seto closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Four...maybe five years," he answered, downing the rest of his wine. He felt a hand on his and looked over at her to see her frowning.

"What all did he do to you?" she whispered. "You said we saw him in Noa's world, and that is true, but seriously...what did he do to you?"

"He..." Seto sighed and leaned back into the couch. He knew shouldn't tell this girl, but he felt for some reason like she should know. After all, there was no denying the fact that he had feelings for her at this point. He thought about it long and hard all last night and came to the sound conclusion that he, Seto Kaiba, had indeed developed feelings for this girl. Why was beyond his line of thinking. Pursing his lips together, he said, "He abused me."

"Why?" she asked as she set her glass down and stared at him with worried eyes. "Why would he adopt you if all he was going to do was abuse you?"

"I challenged him," Seto explained. "And I won. The deal was that if I won, he adopted us. He kept up his end of the bargain, and Mokuba and I were adopted. But then...he decided to train me into becoming the next CEO of KaibaCorp. And from there..it all just went downhill."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Well, most of it was actually verbal abuse, but some of it was physical. I couldn't prove he mentally abused me, because he could just pass it off as me losing my mind over the loss of my parents or something. Physically, well...it was just bruises here and there."

"But Seto, he had no right to do that to you. Nobody should have to put up with that."

"I know. I was going to tell visitors, the police...anybody about it. But he threatened that if I told a single soul about what he was doing to me, he'd start practicing his 'techniques' on Mokuba as well. I couldn't let anything happen to that kid, so I simply kept my mouth shut and put up with it."

Looking back over at Tea, he saw tears forming on the edges of her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked, startled by this.

"You've led such a hard life," she whispered. "I never would've imagined you put up with that. I could never be that strong of a person. You just..." She chuckled before ending, "You just surprise me, Seto."

He smiled at her with as genuine of a smile as he could make appear and said, "Well, I can't say you haven't surprised me during these past couple of weeks." She smiled and leaned up against him, making his heart skip a beat even though he should've been used to her contact by now. Wrapping an arm around her, he brought her slightly closer and whispered, "But thanks for caring that much about me."


	29. Captured

**Chapter 29 - Captured**

"Haha, so you finally admit it, eh?" Abraxas asked, smiling widely over at Seto as he walked into the bedroom. Shutting the door, he sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Tea was downstairs tutoring Mokuba, giving him some quiet time to do his work for KaibaCorp.

"Admit what?" he asked, lying down on his bed and opening his laptop up.

"That you love her!" he exclaimed. "Come on! You kept staring at her downstairs! You obviously feel strongly for her!"

Seto shook his head and sat up, placing the laptop in his lap. "Maybe..." he mumbled, preparing to open up a new file when Abraxas slammed the laptop shut. "Hey, what the fuck's your problem?"

"Admit it, and I'll let you do your work!" the demon taunted.

Seto groaned in annoyance and said, "Fine. I admit it. I like her. Now can I do my work?"

"Well then why don't you...you know...do what you humans do?" Seto raised an eyebrow, and the demon moved his hands around as if trying to grasp the right words. "Isn't it asking the person out or something that you guys call it?"

"Why would I ask her out?" he questioned, opening his laptop back up. "I have a difficult life. Why would she want to be involved in it?"

"Oh, come now! You obviously care about her and her well-being, and I'm sure the same could be said vice versa. Or are you afraid of rejection?"

Seto merely sighed and asked, "Can you please just let me do my work?" Abraxas smirked and backed away slightly.

"You should ask her out," he stated after a few minutes passed.

"What are you, my conscious?"

"I could be if that's what your conscious is saying." Seto smirked and went to continue typing the demon closed his laptop again. "What do you want from me?!" Seto exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down so that anybody passing by in the hallway wouldn't think he was screaming at some imaginary friend.

"When are you going to tell her about me?" At this, Seto felt the color drain from his face. Looking over at the counter, he quickly walked over and picked up the ring. "So...?"

"Never," he answered. "I'm never showing her you."

"Why not? I want to talk to her!"

"You said that whoever had ties to the demon realm is being targeted," he explained, slipping the ring on his finger. "I don't want her being targeted, not even on their radar. I want her safe and out of the demon's way. If that means hiding you, then so be it."

Abraxas seemed appalled at this. "So what are you going to do when you two are finally going out? Hide me from her? Lie to her about me? She'll end up thinking you belong in an insane asylum rather than in her arms."

Seto just looked down at his hand, the ring shining brightly from the sunlight coming in. "Maybe I'll have to ignore you, God forbid," he remarked.

"You wouldn't be able to ignore me," the demon countered slowly. "You love me to much to ignore me."

Seto laughed at this. "Please, you need to come up with a better reason than that."

"Maybe I can come up with an excuse," a familiar voice replied, making the hair stand up on Seto's neck. He felt a strong grasp suddenly around his neck and struggled against it. "Sorry to interrupt this, but there's a disturbance in Amalgam."

"Satr!" Abraxas exclaimed, pointing at the demon behind Seto. "Let him go! I forbid you from touching him!"

"Abraxas, this isn't your game anymore," Satr stated. Seto went to slam his body back into the demon, but it seemed to sense this, for it pinned Seto to the ground within a split second, making his vision start to spin. "You may have been toying around with this demon for awhile now, but it's time to end this contract. You are needed in Amalgam, and with this boy holding you back, you are permitted to stay here. Either relinquish this contract now, or this boy dies."

Seto listened to the words coming out of the demon's mouth and waited until the demon finished. He then, with a surge of energy, sprung up, flinging the demon back and held the demon against the wall. "Listen here, you snake," he hissed, anger and rage fueling his strength. "You keep telling him that if I die, he returns. But from what I'm to understand, you're the one who told on him decades ago. So would you kindly stop fucken attacking me and–"

Feeling a sudden shot of pain through his system, Seto stopped mid-sentence and felt his body become limp. He felt something behind him grab his mouth and lift him up so that it looked as though he were standing. "Listen to me," Abraxas whispered. "This is getting dangerous. I don't want you involved. I...I'm sorry..."

"Abraxas!" he exclaimed, though with the word came a sudden cough of blood from his mouth.

"Satr!" Abraxas shouted. "I will be back in Amalgam in good time. Leave now and let me say my final words to the boy!" Satr eyed Abraxas suspiciously, and Seto closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of blood coming up in his stomach. He coughed again, feeling the blood escape his lips. He heard a sudden whoosh and looked to see Satr gone.

"Abraxas...you fucker..." he coughed out, feeling himself be placed on the floor.

"I'm not abandoning you," Abraxas whispered. "I'm sending you to Amalgam. I'll be there as soon as I can be. I won't let them harm you."

"Them? What about you? What the hell have you done?" Looking down on the ground, he watched as blood escaped from his lips.

"I'm putting you to sleep," Abraxas said. "This just makes it look like you're seriously injured. I'll make sure you're taken care of. Just trust me on this."

"Trust you? I'll never..." But his energy was leaving him quickly, and he soon couldn't even voice his opinion to the asshole demon.

"Please, Seto. I'm sending your soul to Amalgam, but it won't stay there. I'll come back and get you. _I won't leave you behind. _Just trust me."

It was all Seto could do to nod his head before he felt the demon's hand on his forehead. Suddenly he felt every sensation leave him, everything around him vanish. It felt like he had just been sucked up by an alien projector. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw mixtures of black, white, silvers, purples, blues, greens...every color surrounding him, fusing in the center as a giant black orb. He could feel nothing, yet could feel everything. There was nothing and entirety surrounding him. It was a horrible yet revitalizing feeling, and it made Seto close his eyes in wonder and fear.

"_Abraxas...you better keep your fucken word..._" he thought bitterly as he saw a purple sky above him. Falling on soft ground, he thought, "_If I die here...Abraxas...I'll never forgive you..._" Closing his eyes, he immediately fell unconscious.


	30. True Feelings

**Chapter 30 - True Feelings**

Tea held Seto's limp hand in hers, grasping it tightly, the tears threatening to resurface. He was lying on the hospital bed, unconscious and cold. She had come into his room when he hadn't come down to eat dinner when she found him out cold with blood on the floor. Quickly rushing him to the hospital, she was shocked to find out that, after some testing, the doctor's concluded there was nothing wrong with him. He was staying the night, hopefully waking up the next day, and leaving. So why did she feel so bad about this situation?

"_No..there's got to be something wrong..._" she thought for the millionth time that night, caressing the cold hand. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed. "_I don't want there to be something wrong, but this is the second time something weird's happened with his health. First it was that coughing fit, and now this. Maybe there's seriously something wrong with him internally? I hope not. Maybe he really was just exhausted after all..._" The image of the blood persisted, however, pushing this hopeful thought out of her head.

"_Kaiba, what's wrong with you?_" she wondered before chuckling and shaking her head. "_No, it's Seto now. I have to get used to that. But that means..._" She looked at his limp hand before up at his face, which at the moment looked as though he was merely sleeping. A bit paler, but not unhealthy. "_That means that he trusts me enough to use his first name. I've only heard Mokuba use his first name...does he consider me to be that important?_" She chuckled again at the thought.

"_Maybe he really has changed, at least around me. He's helped me out so much, and he's told me a lot of information I don't think he would just give out to people. Personal things, too...definitely not something that Seto would tell if he didn't trust the person. I don't think Seto's one to play with my feelings like that. Sure, we may not have gotten along well in the beginning, but things change. I know I've changed, and maybe he has too._"

Letting out a sigh, she placed Seto's hand on the side of the bed. "_I know I've developed feelings for him. How could I not? He's helped me so much, and with letting his guard down around me, he's proven to me that he is genuinely good under that sheet of ice. I don't know how I broke through that wall, but I felt it that day I gave him a hug. He was so stiff...almost like he wasn't used to giving and getting hugs from people. Hell, I'm sure he isn't. But really...it's so sad._"

"_He's probably coming to terms with his feelings just like I am. I couldn't believe it at first. Me, fall in love with Seto Kaiba? Preposterous! He had been so cruel to Yugi and Joey during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. Even though we've helped him so many times, he never showed us satisfaction. But maybe it's because he simply didn't trust us yet. Mokuba always said he had a good soul, and now I can honestly say he does. He just hides it behind that cold sheet of ice. Those blue eyes that block out so many people..._" Wiping a slight tear away, she looked up at Seto and asked, "_Why don't you open those beautiful, blue eyes? Those eyes that I've so fallen for...why can't you awaken? Just show me some slight hint of blue, something that will tell me that everything's okay. Because it simply isn't. There has to be something wrong._"

She had gone through all the scenarios a thousand times. Internal problems, exhaustion, lack of eating...nothing could be put together. This was the second time she had found him unconscious for no apparent reason, and she could probably assume that this would be the second time she wouldn't get a straight answer as to what was wrong. Would he wake up in a coughing fit once more? Or something worse?

"_Dammit! Why won't you open your eyes, Seto? Why can't you wake up and just tell me what's wrong? I love you so much at this point...you're so important to me. Why are you falling unconscious? God dammit, Seto!_"

Feeling hot liquid fall down her cheek, she quickly put her hand up to her face and felt another tear. She wiped it away and shook her head as if to scold herself. "_No, I have to be strong. If he trusts me, then he'll tell me when he's okay with it. I've trusted him this entire time; he needs to learn to trust me. I'll just keep watch over him until he wakes up. I want to be the first person he sees. God...I sound like one of his fans. At this point, I guess I'm a little above that._"

"_I wonder if he even does trust me? With a past like his, it would be hard to do so I would imagine. I could never have lived through what he did. Getting kicked out of my house was bad enough... I couldn't imagine being abused by my own parents. Well, I guess in his case it was a step-parent, but it's still not right. Nobody should have to deal with that, especially not him. I guess that's why he became so heartless in the first place. That picture on his night stand must have been before he went to his step-father's house. How...sad..._"

Grabbing his hand again, she felt the soft skin beneath hers and smiled slightly. "_Do you even know how much I love you, Seto? You've opened yourself up to me, and I understand how hard that is for you to do. It's almost like an honor, I guess. I care so much about you...but should I even tell you? Or would you laugh at me? No, I don't think you'd do that. Not at this point. If you did, I may just have to call you a hypocrite._" She chuckled at the thought when her finger graced over the ring. She smiled at it and slowly slid it off, holding it in the palm of her hand.

"Now which fan-girl gave you this?" she thought aloud, looking at it from different angles. It was a very well-crafted ring, probably from a rich businessman's daughter or something. Not a wedding band, certainly, but nice all the same. Polished silver with a black orb embedded into it. Simple yet sophisticated. "_Just like him..._" she thought jokingly. Glancing up at Seto before turning her attention back to the ring, Tea thought, "_He said it was really important to him, so I wonder who got it for him. Maybe Mokuba? Or did he buy it for himself? He didn't like me touching it..._" She smirked and went to put it back on his finger when a thought struck her.

"What if..." She smiled and slowly slid the ring on her finger, frowning slightly at the fact that it was slightly too large for her. She tilted her hand back and forth, taking in the beauty of the ring from several angles. "I guess I wouldn't want anybody touching this either. It's really lovely."

And that's when she felt a cold hand cover her mouth.


	31. Interrogation

**Author's Note: **Hello everybody! I just wanted to take yet another moment out to thank you guys once again for the comments and inspiration! You guys really push me to write this story, so thanks a bunch!

**Chapter 31 - Interrogation**

_I had woken up to a purple sky, then fallen back unconscious. My body shook in pain... Abraxas... What had he done to me? I remember Satr coming in, saying he needed my death... then Abraxas... he must've attacked me or something..._

"Gtym gozz ty guxy eh?" an unknown voice said, though it sounded very far away.

_Why did he attack me? What reason did he have to backstab me like so? He said he didn't want me to get involved... Satr left before he talked to me... Is he really planning something? Do I need to trust him to come back for me?_

"Ty ltaezf ky laaq," a feminine voice said, this time the voice sounding closer.

_He promised he wouldn't leave me behind and that he wouldn't let 'them' touch me... God, do I really trust him at this point? I guess I have to... _

"Guxy eh," the first voice stated. It sounded perfectly clear.

_But what's going to happen to me? And what about Mokuba? What about..._

"Guxy eh," the voice repeated, this time a bit louder.

_What?_

"Wake up!" the voice exclaimed, and this time he felt a sudden pain cross his face. Slowly opening his eyes, Seto tried to focus and saw a small figure in front of him. "Finally, you pathetic human," the demon said, throwing his arms up in the arm. "So fucken pathetic...It really is a shame..."

Seto looked around, trying to take in his surroundings. He was in a strange room...no, strange didn't even begin to cover it. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room. The floor was black marble; the walls a violet. Books were scattered all over the place, creating large piles here and there in the spacious room. He could see paintings of demons attacking one another hanging from the walls. Seto was currently sitting on the floor, and he went to get up when he felt a jolt of pain be sent through him. Growling in both pain and anger, he went to grip his neck only to feel a ring around it.

"Sorry, but we had to make sure you wouldn't try to leave," the short demon stated, smiling wickedly at Seto. The demon had light gray skin and spiked red hair, its eyes matching his skin tone. He was wearing a red robe with golden symbols down the front. It looked nothing like Abraxas, and Seto didn't trust it one bit. "We found you unconscious and brought you here. I'm surprised Abraxas sent you here in the first place. He had to have known we would capture you. But then again, I guess he doesn't much care. After all, there are so many humans in your worthless realm. He can continue his studies as he sees fit. But then, there's something in the way of that, isn't there?" The demon walked straight up to Seto and smirked at him. "He made a bond with you. And even though your contract is gone, I can still see it. You've been marked, taken. Why?"

"My contract...?" Quickly looking down, Seto was shocked to see the ring gone.

"Must have left it in the human realm," the demon remarked, his smirk now turning into a smile. "But don't worry. I don't need the ring to see your mark. Now answer my question. Why did you make the bond with him? What did he do to force you into the situation?"

Seto glared at the demon. "What makes you think I'd tell you?" he spat back. The demon frowned at this and shoved his hand at Seto's throat. Immediately a burning sensation filled his throat, head, his entire body, and Seto cried out in pain. The demon released its grasp, and Seto's head fell forward as if he was ashamed of something as he tried to control his breathing. "_Shit...this guy is powerful...what the hell was that?!_"

"That's why you're going to tell me," the demon explained. "Even now, demon essence is entering your system. It's making you weaker and weaker by the second, thanks to that nifty ring around your neck. Now, if you simply answer my questions, I can remove the ring as well as the demon essence in your aura. However..." At this, the demon smirked. "I can just as easily put more demon into you as well. So, I'll ask for the third time now. Why did you make the bond with Abraxas?"

Seto stared at the demon in awe and shook his head. "Why is everyone curious about that?" he asked.

"Because we have no idea what Abraxas has been doing in the human realm, and you're the only one to have ties to him. Now what's he been up to?"

"He rid the Rela Veli in me and made the deal," Seto answered, remembering his lie to Satr. "I asked for him to get rid of the disease, and he took my afterlife. That was the deal. Ever since then, he's been studying me like a specimen. Now can I leave?"

The demon chuckled at this and slowly shook his head. "How has he been studying you? Observing you, performing tests on you...? Can you be more specific?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Seto asked. "Isn't he around?"

The demon, once again, flung its hand out at Seto's throat, though it kept it there this time. Seto felt the pain coursing through him, draining his energy, but he tried to make sure the demon wouldn't get the best of him. "I see you humans aren't good listeners," the demon whispered, tightening its grip on Seto's throat. "I'm asking the questions, not you. Understand? Now..." He let go of Seto's throat, and Seto couldn't help but let out a small gasp of air. The room was beginning to spin, however, and Seto's body felt like jelly. He didn't know how much of the demon essence had just been poured into him, but it was safe to say that the amount wasn't small.

"Sir, I think we should be a little less abusive on him," a woman's voice said as Seto closed his eyes, trying to fight off the sudden pain. "He's only human. He can't deal with so much demon essence as one time."

"Right, right...we do need him alive, I guess," the short demon replied. "Alright then, human, we'll let you go for awhile. But when I get back..." As he said this, he stepped up to Seto's face and grabbed it, forcing the CEO to open his eyes. "You better answer every single damn question I have for you, or I'll pour every being of demon essence into you until your body crumbles before me. Understand?" All Seto could do was slowly nod his head, and he felt the demon slam his head back with surprising force, causing Seto to black out.

* * *

Gtym gozz ty guxy eh? - When will he wake up?

Ty ltaezf ky laaq. - He should be soon.

Guxy eh. - Wake up.


	32. Truth Exposed

**Chapter 32 - Truth Exposed**

Tea became stiff as she felt the hand wrap around her head and cover her mouth. "Please, don't say anything just yet," a raspy voice instructed. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you. Actually, it's the contrary; I need your help with something. Just promise me that when you turn around, you _won't _scream." Slowly Tea nodded her head, fear entering her very being. She felt the hand slide away from her face, and she stood up and turned around only to cover her mouth back up to keep from shouting. A creature was standing before her, a tall one at that, and it was staring at her with two sewn-shut eyes and an eye in the center of its forehead. Its red lips were frowning down at her, and its purple hair was pulled back in a ponytail. It was wearing a completely-black attire with black trenchcoat. She quickly backed up, nearly tripping over the equipment, until she hit the wall.

"What...what the hell...what are you?" she stuttered, wishing the wall would turn into a hole she could escape from. Sure she had seen some weird things hanging out with Yugi's gang, but this creature was another level. It wasn't an illusion; she had felt its hand on her face. So then what was it?

"Please keep your voice down," the demon said. "They can't hear me, but the nurses and other people can hear your voice."

"What the hell are you?" she repeated, staring at the creature in both horror and awe.

The demon sighed and shook its head. "I'm a demon," it answered bluntly. "I come from the realm of Amalgam, a holy forest in the demon realms. And I've come to ask you for help."

"H-Help? With what?" she asked, the fear slowly draining from her system. What could a demon want with her?

The demon pointed at Seto and looked back up at her. "I made sure the ring stayed behind, knowing your curiosity would eventually get the best of you. The ring allows the boy and I to communicate, and when another person wears it, they can interact with me as well. Now that you've put the ring on, you can see and talk to me."

"Seto...?" At this, Tea quickly walked up to the bed and blocked Seto from the demon's view. "What do you know about him? Did you do this to him?"

At this, the demon closed its eye and let out another sigh. "Please...let me just explain..." Tea slowly nodded her head and sat on the edge of the bed, making sure she was between this creature and Seto. She wouldn't let him _touch _Seto until she understand that this thing wasn't here to hurt Seto.

"God, he's gonna hate me for revealing this to you, but I guess in order for you to trust me, I must do so," the demon stated, more to himself than Tea. Tea merely sat there and waited for him to look up at her and smile. "Awhile ago, the boy's younger brother was infected with a disease. He told you briefly about it if memory serves me right. A new disease. Well, the disease was a demonic disease; only a demon could rid of it. I came from my realm in order to get rid of it, but your brother and I ended up making a deal. In short, he sold his afterlife for the life of his brother without the disease. I destroyed the disease, and your brother sold his afterlife to me." Pointing at the ring now on her finger, he said, "That ring was the contract that we both signed signifying this agreement. I get his afterlife now, but do not fret. I do not receive your afterlife; only the first person who wears the ring sells his or her afterlife. You're unharmed."

"He...what?" Tea asked, slowly looking down at Seto's limp figure in shock. "He sold his afterlife...for Mokuba?"

The demon nodded his head. "I still don't truly understand it, but that's what he did. Ever since then, I've followed him around, studying his movements and such. I have a sort of fascination with the human realm, something my other demon friends don't share."

"Other demons?" Tea asked, looking back at the creature. "_That would explain why I've heard Seto talking only to find nobody else in the room with him. He must've been talking to this demon._"

"Yes...other demons," the creature said. "But...an incident occurred. There is currently a war going on in the demon realms, and it will somehow affect this human realm as well. I'm not sure how, and it's why I came to this realm in the first place. But the other demons in my realm became suspicious of my absence and sent another demon to come here. He attacked the boy while I was out." At this, the demon chuckled and smiled at Tea. "I'm glad you found him several moments later. If it hadn't been for you, the demon essence would've enveloped him."

"The demon essence?" Tea questioned, remembering the episode of him waking up in a coughing fit.

"Yes. Your human aura interrupted the demonic essence flow in him, healing him. I gave him a potion after he woke up a second time that rid him of this essence. But the demon attacked us again, and I had no choice. It was his death or mine..."

"You mean he's dead?" Tea asked, her eyes wide in shock and horror.

"No!" the demon exclaimed, standing up and staring down at her. "I sent his soul to Amalgam, my home realm. It's a demon realm. But he's surely been captured by now and is probably being tortured for information on me. I need to go back and rescue him, but I fear he won't trust me enough now for what I've done. It was a trick I played, but now he's stuck in a foreign realm. I need someone he trusts to come with me."

The demon placed its hands on Tea's shoulders and frowned. "I need to go back. I promised him I wouldn't leave him behind. I don't know what it is with him, but I've become fond of him. Usually demons don't care about humans, but I admit I care for the boy's safety. And from the observations I've made, you do as well. Will you...will you help me out?"

"Why ask me?" Tea asked, crossing her arms over her chest as the information sank in. Mokuba's recovery...Seto's health decline... It was all because of this demon.

"Because the boy loves you," the demon stated, acting as though it was obvious. "And I think the feeling is mutual."

"He doesn't love me," Tea argued.

"Oh, but he does! I've talked to him a lot on the topic. I don't understand how you humans can deny obvious emotional desires. He loves you, and from your reactions to his life, you love him as well. I need someone with me who he trusts. Please...just come with me."

Tea stared up at the demon before looking back at Seto, feeling the demon's hands slide off her shoulders. This creature could just be lying to her, using the bait of love to lure her into a trap. Yet the story did make sense. Mokuba's sudden recovery was a shock to everyone, including her. Seto's sudden health decline could have been from a demon attack. Hell, just looking at him now was proof. The doctor's didn't know what was wrong, but obviously something was up. Besides, she would never forgive herself if something actually was wrong with him, and she just turned her back and left. Letting out a long sigh, she smiled up at the demon and said, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect him."

The demon smiled down at her and placed its finger under her chin, lifting her head up to see him. "I knew you loved him. Now, only your soul can go to Amalgam. You need to trust me with this plan, understand? I won't leave him behind, and now that you're involved, you're my responsibility as well. I promise...you just have to trust." Tea slowly nodded her head and felt the demon's finger retract.

"Okay. I had a feeling I could trust you. I didn't want to get the boy's younger brother involved, and you're the only other one he trusts. Now for the plan. I will follow you home, and when you go to sleep, I will extract your soul and take you to the demon realm. When you wake up, you and I will be in Amalgam. It won't hurt; you probably won't even notice anything until you wake up. I know you don't live with your parents anymore, so nobody will notice your absence if you are just asleep at home. Understand?"

"When I wake up, you promise to be there?" she asked. The last thing she needed was to be stranded in a demon realm.

The demon nodded its head and smiled. "Thank you so much. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. And like I said... I promise to take care of the both of you. I won't let anything happen to you while we're there."

All Tea could do was nod her head once more and look back at Seto. "_I'll pull you out of this mess, Seto. If what this demon says is true...there's no way I could turn my back on my love, now could I?_" She smiled at this thought and looked back at the demon before leaving the room, hearing him follow her out the door.


	33. The Alchemist

**Chapter 33 - The Alchemist**

Tea groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the change in light. She could hear bottles clanging about, and a nasty smell filled the room. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she looked around in awe at the room she was in. She was lying on a small cot, a white blanket and pillow the only thing comforting her. Books lined all four walls, and the floor was black wood. Looking over, she saw the demon at a metal desk, two bottles being filled with a clear liquid. She watched him fill the two vials before taking out two jars of ingredients and moving to the metal desk next to the first.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She must have startled him, for the demon jumped slightly before smirking over at her.

"Be careful next time you scare me," he scolded. "I can't afford to screw this up."

"Sorry," she replied as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Looking around the room once more, she asked, "Where are we?"

"In my house," he answered, taking a knife out. He quickly took out some herbs from the two jars and began cutting them up. "We're in the demon realm that is my home: Amalgam. This is my house. It's far enough away for now, but I'm sure they've noticed our presence by now."

"And this 'they' is...?"

"The people who kidnaped your boyfriend," he remarked bluntly.

"Kidnaped?!"

"Yes. As I already explained, he's currently being held hostage by several other demons. Once I'm done here, however, we'll leave and get him back. I'm not losing that boy."

Tea let out a sigh and looked around at all the books. They were in a language she couldn't read, so she turned her attention back to the demon. "What's your name?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Abraxas," the demon answered.

"Abraxas... Seto never mentioned you before."

"That's because I was a secret," the demon replied, turning to face her. "I asked when I would be able to talk to you, but he said he wanted to keep it a secret. He didn't want you to get involved with the demon problems, but alas, it had to happen."

"How did he get involved with the demons in the first place, though? You said that he sold his afterlife for Mokuba and that you've been studying him. Why is he now being held hostage and attacked by other demons?"

"Demons are not supposed to care about humans," Abraxas explained. "Demons only worry about themselves. However, I care and want to learn about the human realm. I traveled to the human realm, and after the deal your boyfriend and I made, I was stuck with him. I wanted to watch over not only him but the humans in general. There's a war going on right now in the demon realms; I'm sure Amalgam will be attacked shortly. I wanted to see what effects this war would have in the human realm. But..." At this, the demon sighed and smiled over at Tea. "I so far have found none whatsoever. I don't even think your realm will be affected anymore."

"Demon wars?"

"I'm not going into a history lesson," the demon quickly stated. "Just know that your boyfriend's connection to me has placed him in danger, and since it's my fault, I'm getting him out. I just need your help."

"Why do you keep referring to him as my boyfriend?"

"Oh, for the love of..." The demon sighed in frustration and glared at Tea. "That boy loves you more than either of you will admit. He cared so much about you when you first moved out of your wretched parent's house; that's right, I watched that procedure occur," he added, seeing her shocked face. "He basically admitted to me his love for you, and I saw how his personality changed around you. He loves you, for the millionth time, and I'm sure you love him as well. This is true, yes?"

Tea blushed and slowly nodded her head. The demon smiled at this and turned back to its concoction. "Tell him," he said after another moment of silence passed.

"Tell him what?" she asked.

"That you love him. He'll never admit it to you. You'll have to be the one to start that relationship. He's intelligent as hell, but he always doubts himself."

"_He _doubts himself?" Tea questioned, not believing Seto Kaiba as one who would second-guess himself.

"When it comes to emotional things, yes. The boy's magnificent at facts and almost childish on feelings. It's a shame, really, but none of my business."

Tea nodded her head in understanding and stood up, quickly stretching out before walking over to him. "So what _are _you doing?" she asked again.

"I'm making a potion for the boy."

"Might I ask why?"

"When we find the boy, he'll no doubt have at least a little fyqam, or demon, in him. I'm making a potion for him so that when we find him, we can give it to him, clearing out the demon inside him. Depending on how much fyqam is in him, he may be okay in five minutes or five hours."

"Do you know how much demon is in him?"

"Not now, no. But with how hard-headed that boy is..." Abraxas shook his head, and Tea could see sorrow in his face. He sighed and smirked at Tea before saying, "Let's just hope he was smart enough to answer some of their questions."

Tea's eyes widened before she looked back down at the mixture. "When did you learn how to make the potion?" she asked, hoping the demon wasn't some newbie at alchemy. Otherwise, she wouldn't let Seto drink it even if it meant his life.

"I've been an alchemist for several centuries," Abraxas answered, putting the ingredients into the bottle and shaking it around. "It was my trade before I was discharged for my obsession with the human realm. After I came back to Amalgam, I took it up again along with some healing lessons. I've been teaching myself some spells for the past century. Nothing harmful, though. Just things like putting people to sleep and such. Comfort spells, I guess you could call them."

Tea chuckled. "I never would've thought of you as a healer."

"Yeah, well... It just interests me." Tea smiled up at the demon, admiration showing in her facial expression. She could tell this demon had gone through some hard times, and now he was risking his neck for a human, something that was obviously unheard of in the demon realm. She went to thank him when, suddenly, the door was flung open.


	34. Sliva's Love

**Chapter 34 - Sliva's Love**

Seto's body felt numb. He knew his demon level, whatever it was, was out of control. He could barely see straight, and the ring around his neck went from a burning sensation to a dull annoyance. His left knee was up to his chest, for he was still sitting down in the room. He just stared down at the floor before closing his eyes. "_Dammit Abraxas...where are you? Did you just abandon me and find another human to get an afterlife from? You always admitted you didn't care whether I lived or died...I guess I shouldn't have trusted you after all._"

"Wake up, human," a feminine voice ordered. Slowly opening his eyes, Seto raised his head and leaned against the wall, seeing the demon before him. It looked a lot like the demon that had attacked him, yet this female demon had long blue hair. He already deduced that this was the other twin that Abraxas had talked about.

"You already...got what you wanted," Seto stated, his voice weak. "Why...are you...keeping me here?"

"We need to use you as bait. We're looking for Abraxas even now, and I'm sure Satr will find him soon. Until then, you're with us."

He chuckled and said, "Afraid to ask, but...when you do find him?"

At this, the demon smirked and leaned forward. "Then we simply have no use for you. And if he doesn't show up sooner or later, we may just dispose of you anyway. There are millions, perhaps billions, of you humans to follow. He could have easily left you behind, and I'm not watching over you just for something to never happen."

"Well...can I get...this ring off?" Seto asked.

"No. I don't trust you at all. That ring doesn't come off until Abraxas is under our control." Seto slowly closed his eyes once more and sighed, realizing his chances of escaping just went down to zero. He was going to die here. Either Abraxas had left him behind, or when they finally found the bastard demon, they would kill Seto anyway. There would be no use for him anymore. "However..." the demon said after awhile. She walked up to Seto and sat down in front of him criss-crossed. She was wearing a red dress that split at the hips, revealing the sides of her gray legs. "What did Abraxas really do in the realm? Did he mention why he was so intrigued by the human realm?"

Seto looked up at her and said, "I already answered that... He said he...had an obsession with the humans."

The demon shook her head and asked, "No, I mean a reason. A reason for his obsession."

Recalling the conversations him and Abraxas had discussed, he nodded his head. "Yeah. He said that...he was curious about...the effects of the wars on the human realm."

"Why?"

"He didn't want this...the human realm...to be affected. He didn't want the humans to be dragged in."

"Is that all?"

Seto slowly nodded his head before letting his head hang, though he wasn't positive. His mind was starting to become as blurry as his vision. The demon looked quizzically at him and asked, "Why are you not answering the way you did when you first arrived."

"I'm being fucken...tortured... Of course I'm not...as strong as I...normally am."

"Weakling. Demons are always in full strength unless in death. Torture is almost pleasurable to us."

"Good for...fucking you."

"Your aura is extremely high in fyqam right now, I'll admit. But you should learn to deal with it. Oh, that's right, you're only human." Seto never thought he would hear that said in a mocking tone. "You humans are meaningless. You can't take anything; your feelings are so easily hurt, and you..." When she stopped, Seto raised his head with great difficulty to see her looking around in the room, as if suspicious of something, before turning her attention back to him to analyze him. Her expression went from suspicious to worried, almost fearful. "What would you do if Abraxas came back for you?"

"Why the change...in subject?"

"Just curious."

"I...I don't know."

"Did Abraxas care about you in the human realm?"

"I...I don't know," he repeated, though not on purpose.

"Abraxas is a good friend of mine. I don't want him to die over this issue, but if it must be done..."

"Die? Why would he...die?"

"His connection with you works both ways. If your spirit dies, he dies. Selling your afterlife has many effects on both creatures involved. Your death in your natural realm, the human realm, allows your spirit to pass directly to him. However, if your spirit dies in a foreign realm, such as this realm, then the connection fails, and he dies as well. I don't want him to die." At this, Sliva grabbed Seto's neck and whispered in his ear, "I'm going to continue to act as though I'm torturing you. I don't want Abraxas to die over this. I love that demon very much, yet I never told him. You're being dragged into this war for no reason. I want to take that ring off, trust me, but Brenjin will immediately sense it and come to investigate. I'm sorry about this, I really am. I know you're confused right now. I promise you you'll understand soon. He's coming for you; I already sensed his approach in our realm. Brenjin will be coming soon, for I can hear the battle outside. He'll need my help. I'm sure your help will arrive then."

Seto stared in confusion at the demon. "You said...you don't trust me. How do...I know...this change is...real?"

The demon smiled. "Because I won't let my brother or a stupid arrangement kill Abraxas. Not even Brenjin can hold me back."

"What are you doing to him?" a sudden voice asked. Both Seto and the demon looked over to see Brenjin in the doorway.

"He was misbehaving," the demon stated, quickly standing up. "I had to teach him a lesson."

"I see. Well, we need help outside. You're one of my most trained mages; report immediately outside."

"And what about the captive?"

"The prisoner? Ha! He's too weak to even move! Leave him." And with that, Seto watched the demon wink down at him before following her superior out the door. That's when the demon essence, the pain, and his own exhaustion became too much, and he fell unconscious.


	35. Rescue

**Chapter 35 - Rescue**

_The demon had stormed into the small home, screaming in an unknown language at Abraxas. Before I knew it, Abraxas was on the ground, glass and ingredients from the tables thrown everywhere. I quickly ran out of the way, and the demon seemed to notice, for he jumped off of Abraxas and pinned me to the ground. I had never been so scared in my life; I literally thought I was going to die right then and there._

_The demon whispered things into my ear, but he was using that strange language, so I couldn't understand him. Abraxas pulled him off of me and flung him into a nearby corner, which seemed to knock the demon out slightly. He then helped me up and placed the vial into my hands and looked me right in the eyes with his single orb. He told me to find Seto in Brenjin's castle and give him the potion. He would handle this demon, whoever it was. And so I nodded my head, turned around, and ran in the direction he told me to go. _

And that's how Tea found herself climbing over the tall, metal gates, the potion in her pocket. She was happy she wore her yellow shorts and black t-shirt to bed; it was easy clothing to maneuver in. She finally reached the top and started to climb her way back down. "I have to find him," she thought aloud. Looking down, she sighed and decided to do the quick thing. Jumping off the gate, she landed with a loud thud onto the hard ground. She then ran through the double doors that served as the entrance to the fortress and was shocked to find nobody there.

"_Maybe there's a battle going on elsewhere..._" she thought, recalling Abraxas's short explanation on the demon wars. "_Good. If they're involved in some sort of battle, that gives me an opportunity to explore without having to worry._" She began running down hallway after hallway, taking in the creepy architecture. The fact that there were even demon realms to begin with was bad enough, but this kind of demon realm was just creeping her out.

"_Where would they have him? In the basement?_" She made a right and began running down the hallway when she suddenly stopped. "_Were those...voices?_" Sure enough, she could see two shadows against the opposite wall coming toward the corner. She ran into the nearby room and shut the door as quietly as possible, checking the room for unwanted demons before pressing her ear to the wall.

"Please Sliva, you are taking this too seriously," the first demon stated. "Satr has been sent to dispose of Abraxas. He's become too much of a problem for us."

"But you said that he had his freedom-" That was a female voice. Tea was shocked there were even female demons in the first place.

"-Until he became a problem," the first demon interrupted. "And now he's a problem, so we must dispose of him. Your brother is one of the best mages we have; he'll do a fine job."

"But Brenjin, Abraxas is a healer! An alchemist! We'll need him with these battles at hand. Why get rid of him when we can use him to heal our wounded soldiers!"

"He wouldn't help us anyway, Sliva. Don't you see? His infatuation with the human realm has clouded his conscious. He no longer is the demon that you so loved before he disappeared. He cares about the human race now, and if anything, that's the reason we must kill him."

"Why not ask him to return to the demon realm? We can ask him to call off the bond with the human, letting the human return to his realm and Abraxas to his."

"He's already tasted what the human realm is now like. It wouldn't surprise me if he decided to spend eternity with those filthy wastes of life."

"Well then let him! I don't understand what the big deal is, Brenjin."

"If the humans find out about our demon realms, they will surely try to find a way to destroy us. We can't have that. Sliva, you know we live in secrecy. That's our motto as demons. Abraxas going around the human realm causes us great concern. He could blow our cover and cause who knows how many problems!"

"I still don't think this is a good idea..." Tea could hear their voices become softer and softer until she finally couldn't hear them any longer. Slowly opening the door, Tea looked both ways and saw nobody in the hallway.

"_They're going to kill Abraxas?! But why...?_" Tea shook her head and started running back down the hallway in the direction the demons had come from. "_No, I have to find Seto. Maybe he'll know what's going on with Abraxas._" She quickly opened the two double doors at the end of the hallway and walked inside, shutting the doors behind her before looking around. "_If they came from here, maybe Seto's in this room._" Looking around, she sighed in exhaustion and frustration. All she saw was books lying about, some in piles, some on the bookshelves.

Slowly walking around the room, she closed her eyes and leaned against the nearby bookshelf. She had run non-stop on her way here, and running around the mansion had worn her down. "No...I gotta find him," she reminded herself, pushing herself off the wall. "I just gotta find him..." Opening her eyes, she noticed a sudden glint and looked up only to gasp in horror.

"SETO!" she screamed, running over to him and grabbing him. There was a yellow ring around his neck, which was what had caught her attention in the first place. He was knocked out cold, and his neck looked extremely red from the ring. "Seto, wake up!" she screamed, shaking him as hard as she could. "Seto, you gotta wake up! It's me, Tea! Dammit, Seto, wake up!" But he wouldn't, and her hands fell limply at his side. Remembering the potion, she quickly took it out of her pocket and tried pulling him off the wall. "_Dammit, what is this ring!?_" she thought. She sighed again in frustration and took the cap off the bottle, tilting Seto's head up and putting the potion to his lips. "Come on, Seto. Just drink this and you'll be fine." She slowly poured the concoction down his throat, making sure none escaped his lips.

Holding his head up, she waited until the bottle was drained dry before setting it down and letting Seto swallow the liquid. She watched as the ring slowly evaporated around his neck, revealing marks along his neck. Feeling tears forming at the edges of her eyes, she thought, "_God Seto...what did they do to you? What information did they want that they would do this to you?_"

"And what do we have here?" a familiar voice asked. Tea quickly spun around to see a tiny demon, no more than three feet tall, smiling wickedly at her. "Hm, I guess I have _two _people I can interrogate now."


	36. All in Vain

**Chapter 36 - All in Vain**

They could hear the battle outside the windows. The swords clashing against one another, demons casting spells in their own language, the cracks from shields and armor being hit...it all flowed into the room through the open windows. Tea felt herself be pushed to the ground on her knees and looked over at Seto. The demon had called in several guards and easily captured her, but she was more worried about Seto than herself. He still hadn't woken up from the potion, and she was beginning to wonder if the potion was going to work at all.

The demon pulled the cloth down from her mouth, allowing her to breath easier, and smirked at her. "I can't afford to lose you," the demon stated, walking up to her until their faces were merely centimeters away. "I see that fyqam has a worse effect on you humans than I imagined. Your friend here isn't doing too well because of it. Although I am impressed...that potion you gave him removed the ring. Very impressive. No doubt created by Abraxas; I highly doubt you humans know anything about the forms of alchemy. But no matter. It seems that the simple cloth tied around your hands is working just fine."

The demon looked over at Seto, who was also held down on his knees, though Tea suspected the guard was actually holding his limp figure _up _on his knees, before turning his back to Tea and taking a few steps forward. "So, you and Abraxas also have a connection. I knew that demon would become a serious problem. Unless, of course, this human allowed you to create the connection. Tell me, who allowed you to put the ring on."

"Why would I answer you?" Tea asked, glaring at the demon.

"Why? Well, let me ask you this. Do you want to end up like your friend over there?" The demon turned and pointed at Seto before smirking back at her.

"You wouldn't do that to me. You already said you couldn't afford to lose me."

"That doesn't mean I can't afford to hurt you," the demon remarked.

Tea looked back over at Seto before sighing and hanging her head. "Abraxas put the ring on me."

"Abraxas did this?!"

"Well, not really. The ring was on his hand, and curiosity got the best of me. I tried it on, and immediately Abraxas came to me and began talking to me. He explained that he purposely kept the ring in the human realm so that I tried it on."

"And why did he want you to try it on?"

"He wanted my help. He wanted to save him."

The demon's hands slowly turned into fists, and once it turned around, Tea could see the pure rage in his countenance. "That demon...he has betrayed us to the highest level!" the demon exclaimed.

"And how's that? I don't understand you! Sure, Abraxas went into the human realm. I understand that part. But what's the big deal?!"

"Demons are not supposed to reveal themselves _ever _to the human realm. Abraxas revealed himself to two humans. Now, if you two return to the human realm, you may as well tell the entire world that demons exist! And then what? Our protection would be gone, out the window!"

"What protection?"

The demon chuckled and shook its head. "Dear child, you truly don't understand." The demon began pacing the room, its hands behind its back. "These demon wars are not going to affect the human realm in any way whatsoever. That was written in an old text long ago when we didn't understand our connection to the realm. However, that would mean that the human realm and the demon realms are more closely connected than we thought. Most demon realms will not be affected by this war because of their proximity. Only realms not connected to our own will be affected. This battle has been so over-exaggerated by so many demons that I decided to let it go. Let the demons fear this battle. But then...Abraxas came along."

"With the text, it was told that should demons inhabit the human realm, chaos would ensue. You know as well as I do that that statement is completely false. You humans could never attack us; we're superior to you in every way. But Abraxas became curious about you humans. He wanted to study you, protect you, from these wars, not knowing that his research was all in vain. When he went to the human realm, I became worried that he would learn that our effects on the human realm were slim to none."

"And why would you lie to the demons like that?"

"To keep them from allying themselves with the humans."

"But now I'm even more confused! Wouldn't you want to ally with us? What's the big deal? You said so yourself we couldn't attack you!"

"If you humans began learning about us, you could find ways to kill us, become as strong as us. Our protection, what you originally asked about, would dissipate. You would become demons yourselves, the fyqam in everyone's auras. We could never afford that. So, by letting the battles that are currently happening be exaggerated by every demon around, I could ensure that you humans would never learn about us. But...that stupid Abraxas had to study you humans himself."

"I can't believe you! How could you lie like that!?"

"Have you not been listening, you insolent fool! What have you–"

"Sir!" a sudden voice exclaimed. Both Tea and the demon looked over at the doorway to see a female demon walk.

"Sliva! What is the matter? Why interrupt me now?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but we're having problems outside. They're about ready to storm the castle! You need to come out here now!"

The demon sighed and glared over at Tea. "Keep them here," the demon ordered to the guards. Turning around, he quickly walked out of the room. Tea expected the female demon, Sliva, to leave, but was surprised when she entered the room and nodded at the two demon guards.

"You heard the story," she stated. "You two are free to help on the battlefield, where we truly need you." The two guards nodded, letting go of both Tea and Seto. Seto fell immediately to the ground, and the demon quickly took off the cloth holding Tea's hands back. "I also told the boy I would help him out," Sliva explained. "I, after hearing that story, am siding with Abraxas on this. I don't think he realizes how he's turned this battle into a civil war. Or maybe this was what the battle...nevermind." Turning Tea around, she said, "Go now. Take the boy out of here. There's a doorway out the back, down the hallway on the right. Abraxas is currently fighting my brother, and I don't know how much longer he can hold out. I don't want Abraxas to die. Please, you must help him. Take this to him." At this, the demon took out a scroll and placed it in Tea's hands.

Tea slowly looked down at the scroll before looking back up at Sliva. "Why are you helping me out?"

"Because I can't believe Brenjin lied to us like that. And I'm helping out Abraxas for the same reason I assume you're helping your friend out here." The demon smiled down at the boy before glancing back at her. "He'll awaken soon, don't worry. I can feel the fyqam energy in his aura diminishing even now. He'll be okay soon. Take him out of here, and find Abraxas in the forest. I'm sure they're near his house. Now go!"

Tea quickly nodded her head, and with the help of the demon, put Seto on her back. She was surprised at how light he really was but shrugged it off for later. "Thank you for your help," she whispered to the demon before walking out of the room and following her instructions out of the mansion and into the forest.


	37. The Word 'Love'

**Chapter 37 - The Word 'Love'**

The sounds of battle were becoming muffled in the large forest, leaving only an eerie silence. She was now walking, the constant running and carrying Seto making her lose energy quickly. She knew she was on a timer; if she arrived too late, Abraxas could be captured or worse. He was her best shot right now, and she was not going to lose him simply because of a lack of energy. Letting out a sigh, she smiled down at the ground before turning her face to see Seto's head resting on her shoulder.

"God, you look so different when you're asleep," she thought aloud, turning her attention back to the dirt path leading to Abraxas's house. "You seem so relaxed, so comfortable...not your usual tense self. Why can't you relax in public more often? You seem almost scared to get to know others. I remember...at the beginning of the project. You said you weren't going to tell me anything, that you never wanted to hang out with me. Haha...look how long that lasted. I admit I didn't want to be around you either, but as we began hanging out...you seemed to suddenly care about me."

"Maybe moving out of Mom's place was the best thing for me," she continued, knowing full well that no demons were around to hear her voiced opinions. "I live in my own apartment now, and I learned so much about you, Seto. You may not realize it or want to admit it, but you basically saved me. You're so funny when it comes to that kind of thing, you know? You're so arrogant around everyone, yet when you help somebody in need, you think nothing of it."

She chuckled at herself and looked back at Seto's head. "You know you're a good person deep down; you just don't want to admit it to anyone. Fine, you can be that way. Just know that you're not the only one who knows, got it?" She then chuckled again and shook her head before turning back to the pathway. "Great, now I'm talking to an unconscious person. Better than talking to my imaginary friend or something, I guess."

Walking for another minute or so, a question suddenly popped into her mind. "Why did you hide Abraxas from me, Seto? We were all so shocked when Mokuba recovered from a _new _illness so quickly, yet you acted like it was nothing. You didn't explain anything, but then again, you never do. Why didn't you tell me you sold your...your afterlife away? And why would you do such a thing in the first place? Mokuba must mean so much to you in order to do that. I wonder...would you do the same for me?"

At this, Tea's chuckle turned into laughter. "Probably not. However...Abraxas did say you admitted your love for me. I couldn't imagine you confiding in a demon, but I guess I've missed a lot. The demon seemed so worried about you, so I don't think it would make up a story to get me to help out. But that would mean..." Feeling a slight blush creep up, she whispered, "That would mean the feeling is mutual."

Stopping, she turned to see Seto's face once more before continuing. "You've changed so much since the beginning of that project. Maybe not around most of society, but you have around me. I enjoy your company so much, and I believe that feeling is also mutual. You wouldn't keep coming over to my apartment if you didn't enjoy hanging out with me, especially after the project was over with. Maybe the demon really was right."

Feeling him sliding down slightly, Tea shifted him back up and smirked. "Man, for such a tall guy, you really need to eat a bit more."

"Would if I could," a sudden voice whispered. Dropping the figure on her back, she spun around to see Seto, now lying on the ground, glaring up at her, trying his best to sit up. "What the hell was that for?"

"You...You're awake!" she exclaimed, running up to him and helping him stand. "How long were you awake!?" She tried remembering everything she had said in the past five minutes, praying that he hadn't heard it.

"I felt you adjust me on your back," he answered, his voice now commanding and at a normal tone. He let go of her and slowly looked around, and she could tell he was trying to stand on his own. He then looked over at her and frowned. "What...are you doing here?"

"Abraxas asked me to help save you," she explained. "He gave me a potion that I later gave to you in order to get the..the fy..fya..."

"Fyqam," he corrected. "Demon."

"Yeah, that. He gave me a potion to get rid of the demon inside you. You wouldn't wake up, though, and a short demon came and found me. He tried interrogating me, but a female demon named Sliva distracted him. There was obviously a battle going on at the time, and she told the short demon they needed help. He left, and she let me go. She ordered me to go help Abraxas; he was attacked when I woke up here, and I managed to escape."

The information seemed to sink in, for Seto sighed and looked down at the dirt path. "I take it this is the way to where he is?" Tea nodded her head and watched him begin walking down the path. "Hey, hey!" she exclaimed, jumping in front of him. "Don't you want to keep riding on my back? You weren't in great health when I got here, and I'll be damned if your energy suddenly came back."

"I'll be fine," he stated, yet she could see a smile playing on his lips. "But why the sudden interest in my health, Tea?"

"Because...I'm worried about you," she answered.

"So...you tried the ring on?" Tea gulped and slowly nodded her head again. Seto sighed. "Then I guess...what did Abraxas tell you?"

"He told me about the deal you made with him over Mokuba. He also told me..."

"Told you what?" Tea mentally bit her tongue. She went too far. This was not the time nor the place. Looking around as if a random comment would appear out of nowhere, she was shocked to see Seto walk up to her and wrap his arms around her waist. Leaning his head on her shoulder, he whispered, "He told you...how I felt about you, didn't he?" She said nothing. "I knew that ring was left behind for a reason. So let me guess...you tried it on, and he told you about the feelings I held toward you, hoping to sway you to come here? Is that it?" For the third time, she slowly nodded her head.

When he didn't release her, she slowly wrapped her arms around him. "He...he told me that you really cared about me," she stated, not wanting to jump to the word 'love' yet. "I was worried sick. You were in the hospital, and I was visiting to check up on you. Curiosity got the best of me, and I tried the ring on. When he explained the situation and your feelings for me, I couldn't just leave you. I accepted his offer to help you out, and...well...I explained the rest earlier."

Feeling his breath on her neck made a sudden blush come up to her cheeks. She expected him to let go of her, tell her that the demon lied to her, and laugh it off. Instead, Seto whispered, "Thank you," into her ear before leaning back to look at her face. She saw a smile, a genuine smile, tugging at his lips. "Now...I brought you here, so I guess it's my job to get us out. Do you know where Abraxas is?"

She chuckled at the sudden change in conversation and begged the blush in her cheeks to subside. "Yeah, just down this dirt path." She smiled as Seto let go of her and began walking before turning to face her.

"Well, do you want out of here or not?" he asked when she didn't move. She sighed slightly and ran up to him, quickly grabbing his hand. He looked down at her and said, "Trust me. You risked your life in here; I won't let anyone touch you. Just don't leave my sight. Got it?"

"Okay," she replied, and soon the two were running toward Abraxas's house, the loss of energy being the last thing on both their minds.


End file.
